


Run to her

by JNS



Category: Wynonna Earp (TV)
Genre: Alternate Universe - No Curse, F/F, Fluff, Friendship/Love, Nicole has a kid, Shae/Nicole divorced, There's some smut too
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-10-25
Updated: 2018-08-09
Packaged: 2019-01-22 23:40:49
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 22
Words: 83,588
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/12493512
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/JNS/pseuds/JNS
Summary: Waverly Earp ran the same five mile path near the outskirts of Purgatory pretty much every day during the warmer months, she had started in high school when she used to take part in cross country and it had just stuck with her. She was was on a first name basis with everyone she passed during her runs.  That was until about 5 weeks ago when she noticed a new face jogging past her in the opposite direction, bright red hair and a Purgatory Police Department t-shirt on.





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> I've been enjoying writing one-shots for these characters but I used to love writing series so I'm having a go at that. I have most of where this story is going to go mapped out, it may change a little as I write and get more/less inspired by certain aspects of the story! Enjoy!

Waverly Earp ran the same five mile path near the outskirts of Purgatory pretty much every day during the warmer months, she had started in high school when she used to take part in cross country and it had just stuck with her.

It was a popular spot for those Purgatorians who liked to keep fit, most of whom Waverly either knew from school or simply from around town. It wasn't hard to know everyone in such a tiny place and Waverly being as popular as she was, was on a first name basis with everyone she passed during her runs. That was until about five weeks ago when she noticed a new face jogging past her in the opposite direction, bright red hair and a Purgatory Police Department t-shirt on. It didn't take long for Waverly to connect the dots and realize that it must have been the new female deputy that a few people around town had been talking about. 

The redhead seemed to be there just as often as Waverly but every time it would seem that her run was coming to an end just as Waverly was getting started. She must get up around dawn to have almost completed the course by the time Waverly would arrive, considering Waverly would get there not long after 7am everyday. The more they passed each other on their respective workouts it seemed strange to not acknowledge the new resident in town, so Waverly began waving at her each time. 

The waves then got paired with genuine smiles the more often they passed each other and eventually one day the redhead decided maybe it was time to actually speak to the only person who acknowledged her existence on the path. Waverly was running late that day and was just finishing checking her laces by her Jeep when the redhead had finished her run. 

"Missed you today!" A voice came from behind Waverly as she straightened up, finished with her laces. She turned around to see the redhead, thoroughly out of breath, and even though she was sipping from her water bottle there was a warm smile on her face.

"Silly me didn't remember to set my alarm last night!" Waverly let out a gentle laugh as she shrugged, part of her had worried she wouldn't see the redhead that morning and another part of her wondered why she cared so much. 

She could feel the redhead's eyes really looking at her, this was probably the longest the two had ever been this close before. Usually the fleeting glances that accompanied their waves to each other lasted all of a few seconds. "I'm Waverly by the way…Waverly Earp!" She held her hand out to the woman in front of her and it was accepted into a firm shake. 

"Nicole Haught!" Nicole tried to not make a big deal over how beautiful she thought that name was, she probably would have freaked the woman out, but she couldn't help the smile that spread across her face. "Just moved her not long ago, work over at the Sherriff's department!"   
"Yeah, I knew that actually…" Waverly echoed the woman's grin until a small look of apprehension appeared on Nicole's face. "Uh, small town y'know? Plus, I kind of know everyone around here and I certainly hadn't seen you before, so I put two and two together a couple weeks back!" 

"Right, of course!" It was going to take a while before Nicole was used to small town life, everyone knowing every body's business. "I better get home and showered before work…was nice to properly meet you Waverly Earp!" Nicole couldn't help the way her mouth relished the woman's name and she was sure that she had been noticed. Nicole hadn't held out much hope of beautiful women in a town called Purgatory, but she had at least found one. She quickly expelled that thought from her mind, she hadn't moved here to look for a new relationship and who even knew if said beautiful woman would ever be interested anyway. 

"Bye, Nicole!" Waverly gave her a wide smile and couldn't help her lingering eyes as Nicole walked back towards what Waverly had rightly presumed was her car. The woman's running shorts hugged her perfectly and Waverly could have sworn there was a deliberate sway to her hips. The way the muscles in her back moved as she walked was making Waverly sweat. She had to literally shake her head to snap herself out of the thoughts that began to form in her mind. Something about joining Nicole in that shower of hers…

 

For the next week or so each time they came across one another on the path the pair would stop and chat for a while and each time Waverly could tell that Nicole was flirting with her a little. Not that she minded in the slightest. In fact she had started to give as good as she got which much to her amusement elicited some spectacular blushes from Nicole. 

Waverly knew she had always been attracted to women and men but in such a small town there weren't very many openly _not straight_ people and those that were, tended to move away when they were old enough. Which meant Waverly had very little experience of any attraction she felt for a female being reciprocated.

She was sure that it wasn't one sided, but she had still to pluck up the nerve to ask Nicole out or even to just arrange to see her somewhere other than their usual meeting spot. The idea of popping into the police station with some made up problem had crept into her mind a few times, but she could never think of anything convincing enough to warrant a visit without being too serious.

One morning after psyching herself up from the moment she awoke, Waverly had finally built up the nerve to ask Nicole out for a cup of coffee. She sung along to her radio on the drive towards the edge of town but stopped abruptly as she noticed Nicole's usual parking space empty of the dark blue Ford that she drove. Checking the time Waverly could see she was right on schedule, there was no way that she had missed her already. Slightly deflated Waverly focused on her workout instead of letting her mind dwell on how silly she felt building herself up only to have her boldness go to waste. 

Unfortunately for Waverly the same thing happened for the next three days, there was no sign of Nicole and Waverly couldn't help but feel a little worried. What if something had happened, sure Purgatory wasn't exactly a dangerous place to live and she couldn't remember the last time she heard of a deputy getting hurt on the job but there was always a chance for accidents.

Instead of letting her thoughts totally take over her day she decided to call into the Sherriff's department on her way to work. She was friendly with a few people who worked there so maybe she could find out something, anything about where Nicole had disappeared to. 

As Waverly walked up to the front desk a thought struck her that she felt stupid for not thinking of before, maybe Nicole had been working nights. The idea calmed Waverly down from her spirally worry for Nicole's safety, but she figured she was already in the building so double checking couldn't hurt. 

"What can I do for you, Waverly?" Lonnie's pleasant voice didn't match the look of sheer exhaustion on his face, but he definitely knew better than to be anything but nice to the woman in charge of supplying his after-work beer. 

"Uh…I'm actually looking for a deputy. Nic..I mean Officer Haught?" Waverly suddenly felt silly, she barely knew Nicole and she really had no right to know where she was. This crush she had developed was getting a little out of hand. 

"She's gone to the city for a few days, some family business to attend to…I can take a message if you want? Think she's due back today!" Lonnie picked up a pad and a pen ready to scribble down something for Waverly if she wanted. Waverly guessed that sharing such information with regular townsfolk wasn't exactly standard operating procedure, but this was Purgatory after all and everyone usually knew everyone's business the moment it happened anyway. In Waverly's case, people tended to know her business before she even knew it herself. 

"Nothin' important, just let her know I dropped by!" Waverly gave a quick wave and headed back out. Her head felt a little clearer knowing that something awful hadn't happened to Nicole in the line of duty, but she also hoped nothing awful had happened to someone in her family for her to be called away. Waverly was certainly no stranger to that and she wouldn't wish it on her worst enemies.


	2. Chapter 2

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you to everyone who showed interest in this story, I hope I can keep you entertained. My plan is to update fairly regularly but my personal schedule is very random so I don't want to make any sort of updating schedule, that way I can't break it! Enjoy!

The afternoon was relatively quiet at Shorty’s, the regulars hung around the place in their usual booths and Champ played pool with Pete, occasionally glancing over at Waverly trying to catch her eye. The pair had dated on and off for a couple of years but catching him with his tongue stuffed down another girl’s throat six months back had put the final nail in the coffin of that relationship. Despite his constant apologies and promises that it was a one time mistake Waverly knew better. She was happy to be civil with him and not have Gus ban him from the only bar in Purgatory as long as his incessant grovelling stopped, he eventually got the hint but that didn’t stop him trying to get her to look his way whenever she was working. Waverly was clearing a couple tables near the entrance when a familiar voice graced her ears. 

“Are you sure you can’t wait til we get home sweetie? We’re really close!” Nicole must have been standing just outside the door, Waverly paused at the sound of her calling someone ‘sweetie’. Did she have a girlfriend? Boyfriend? Surely she wouldn’t have been so obviously flirting with Waverly if she did, would she? “Ok, ok! I’ll ask if it’s ok!” 

The door swung open and Waverly quickly made her way to see who Nicole was talking to. “Hi there’s no sign outside saying if kids are allowed but my…Waverly? Hey.” A smile appeared on Nicole face instinctively at the sight of the woman in front of her before it slowly faded into something Waverly would only describe as worry. 

“Hey, uh yeah kids are allowed until 8pm…” Waverly leaned to the side so she could see the little girl clutching onto Nicole’s leg from behind, legs crossed in an obvious ‘I really need to pee’ pose. “Restrooms right down there!” Waverly pointed towards to ladies bathroom before turning back and smiling down at the little girl who couldn’t be more than 5 or 6 years old. Nicole’s smile returned a little as she looked at the child and then back to Waverly, she hadn’t expected to run into her so soon after getting back into town. 

“Mommy!” The little girl was practically jumping up and down now with a very worried look on her face, Nicole swept her into her arms before thanking Waverly and darting to the bathroom. Waverly took a couple seconds to process the fact that Nicole had a daughter. She’d never mentioned it when they talked although Waverly couldn’t really blame her, they were practically strangers. She finished clearing the tables by the door and made her way back to the bar just in time for the two to emerge from the bathroom. The little girl looking a lot happier. 

“All better?” Waverly smiled down over the bar then back up to Nicole who was looking a little nervous, palm rubbing against the back of her neck. The girl nodded and gave a toothy grin. Nicole picked her up and placed her down on one of the stools at the bar, standing behind her to make sure she didn’t fall backwards. 

“What do we say, Amelia?” Nicole gently tapped her daughter’s shoulder while looking over her to Waverly who’s eyes were fixed on the little girl in front of her. 

“Thank you!” Amelia laughed and looked up at her mother standing over her, who gave her a reassuring nod. “Thank you, Waverly.” 

“You are very welcome, Amelia!” Waverly blushed a little at the thought of Nicole going to the trouble of teaching her daughter Waverly’s name. She quickly glanced at the clock and noting it was just past 5 she offered a menu from behind the bar, suggesting they stay for something to eat. 

“We should probably be getting home, it’s been a long day of driving!” Nicole didn’t really want to leave, she wanted to explain to Waverly why she had never mentioned her daughter in all their conversations even though she knew she didn’t have to, she felt like she should. 

“I know, which is exactly why you should let someone else cook for you tonight!” Waverly offered in reply and Nicole couldn’t fault her logic. She took the menus and Waverly lead them to one of the freshly cleaned booths by the window. Nicole ordered mac and cheese for Amelia and a chicken burger for herself. Waverly made her way to the kitchen to place the order and added an extra portion of mac and cheese to it for herself. She figured it was quiet enough to have something to eat and for a change be in some good company while on a break. 

She popped into the office to let Gus know she was going to have something to eat and to head out soon to man the bar. Waverly got the regulars another round sorted before Nicole and Amelia’s order was ready and she carried their meals over. 

“Mind if I sit and eat with you? I’m on my break!” Waverly placed all the food down on the table waiting for Nicole’s answer, Nicole didn’t mind at all and so Waverly slipped into the booth across from the mother and daughter. Amelia grabbed a bottle of ketchup off the table and covered her mac and cheese with it, much to Nicole’s disgust. She had no idea how she managed to eat such a combination. Waverly couldn’t help but chuckle at Nicole’s obvious chagrin for her daughter’s preference before reaching for the ketchup and putting a dollop to the side of her own. Amelia practically jumped out her seat in excitement when she saw Waverly doing so. 

“Mommy hates ketchup but its Mom’s favourite!” Amelia beamed but Waverly was a little confused, her blank expression was something Amelia had got used to in her short life when she talked about her family. “I have two Moms! Mommy and Mom!” Amelia boasted looking very sure of herself and Waverly felt a little silly that she hadn’t figured that one out quicker. Nicole let out an uneasy laugh and picked up her burger looking anywhere but at Waverly. 

“That must be really nice!” Waverly smiled over the table, sensing the tension coming off of Nicole. 

“Yeah, now I need to live with Mommy cause Mom has a new job and I don’t speak German…only English!” Amelia said with a firm nod, Waverly thought that there really was no way she was more than kindergarden age and yet she seemed incredibly bright.

“My ex is a professor so she travels a lot for work, used to just be around the U.S and Canada but now she wants to teach in Europe…” Nicole rolled her eyes and Waverly could tell this was a bit of a sore spot so she didn’t want to push for anymore information, although she couldn’t help the tiny smile that appeared when Nicole used the term ‘ex’. Nicole definitely noticed and smiled into her burger as she took another bite.

Amelia finished well before Waverly and Nicole who kept pausing to chat, Waverly talked about how long she’d worked at Shorty’s, how a dear family friend had owned it before his death and how her Aunt ran the place now. She really hadn’t planned on being here so long but the tips were good and it paid the bills. Amelia lay her head down on Nicole’s lap bored with the adult conversation and before long she was fast asleep. Nicole smiled down at her daughter as she ran her hand through soft brown hair. She was forever grateful for her daughters ability to fall asleep literally anywhere. 

“You said earlier you knew I’d had a long day driving, what did you mean?” Nicole had been wanting to ask Waverly since they sat down to eat but she wasn’t sure how to easily get it into conversation. Waverly’s blush was no where near hidden even though the sun was starting to go down outside and the night time lighting had yet to come on inside the bar.

“I may or may not have gone to the police station to check that you were still alive when I didn’t see you for like four mornings in a row…Lonnie told me you were in the city for a few days but should be back today.” Waverly started to fiddle with her hands on top of the table. Nicole reached over and stilled them staring deep into Waverly’s eyes. 

“You were worried about me?” Nicole smiled a little cockily but there was genuine appreciation in there too. Waverly didn’t know what to say so she simply nodded. “That’s really sweet!” Nicole kept her eyes focused on Waverly’s, she hoped that their flirtations weren’t meaningless to Waverly because they had quickly become the best part of her day. Could her concern just be friendly or was there more to it? 

She desperately wanted to know and now that Amelia was going to be living with her she knew that her morning runs probably wouldn’t be happening, not until she got Amelia settled in. She didn’t want to miss out on spending time with the woman in front of her and she hoped that her having a child didn’t scare Waverly off. Nicole realised she still had her hand on top of Waverly’s and she ducked her head as she blushed a little, pulling back her hand. Waverly’s heart fluttered, she’d never had this sort of effect on anyone before and she would be lying if she said she didn’t like how it felt. 

“So _ex_ , huh?” Waverly asked raising an eyebrow as a cheeky grin spread across her face. 

“Yup!” Nicole said popping the ‘p’ before a smirk appeared to match Waverly’s.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So...probably not where most people thought this was going but I absolutely adore the concept of Nicole as a mother! Most of the fics I have read (where she has a child before meeting Waverly) tend to have a grieving Nicole or similarly broken and I wanted to write something where Nicole is just as strong as I find her to be in the show because she is definitely my favourite character right behind Wynonna.  
> While Nicole having a daughter is definitely a predominant theme in this story there is so much more to it and I hope you stick around :)  
> As always you can find me on tumblr - tumblr.com/brokenlight if you want to chat!


	3. Chapter 3

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm glad that so many of you were on board with mother Nicole! A little more about Nicole's relationship with Shae in this chapter, hope you enjoy :)

When Nicole had carried a still sleeping Amelia to her car since Waverly had to get back to work, she didn’t hesitate to ask for her number and if they could arrange to get together again soon. Waverly agreed, of course, and she hoped she hadn’t come off just as eager as she felt. She headed back to finish her shift with a spring in her step that anyone would have had to blind not to notice, Gus caught her smiling to herself a number of times and knew that a certain redhead had to be the cause. Gus didn’t say anything but she was thrilled to see someone make her niece feel that way. 

A couple days passed and while she knew she wasn’t going to be bumping into Nicole on her morning runs she couldn’t help but be a little disappointed that she hadn’t heard from her at all. She kicked herself for not getting Nicole’s number. She only had one day off that week and as much as she wished she could spend it with Nicole she had resigned herself to completing the household tasks she’d been putting off. She did laundry, tidied up and wrote her shopping list before heading to the store. 

“Waverly!” The singsong voice pulled Waverly out of her daydream, in the middle of the bakery section, about what to cook that evening She turned around to see Amelia smiling up at her. She bent down a little so she was closer to her height and returned the smile. “I knew it was you!” 

“Hey Amelia, where’s your mommy?” Waverly scanned down the aisle of the store but couldn’t see Nicole so she straightened herself up and took Amelia’s hand. Amelia had just shrugged in reply to Waverly’s question and no doubt Nicole was worried sick about her daughter disappearing. They took the store aisle by aisle until Waverly spotted a particularly stressed out looking redhead. “Nicole!” Waverly got her attention and waved as she walked over with a skipping Amelia at her side. 

“You scared me half to death Amelia! You’ve got to stay with Mommy ok?” Nicole wasn’t angry or raising her voice as she bent down to cradle her daughters cheeks in her hands but the look of worry was still obvious to Waverly. A stark comparison to what she had received as a child when she wandered off. 

“I saw Waverly, I wanted to say hi!” Amelia pouted up at her mother who seemed to have completely calmed down now. Her eyes lifting to look up at Waverly, a little surprised to see a look of total adoration in the woman’s eyes. Waverly couldn’t help it, she could tell from the short time she had spent in the pairs company that Nicole was a good mother but even good mothers raise their voices when they are scared sometimes. She couldn’t help but feel even more attracted to Nicole than she was before. 

“Thank you, I let go of her hand for literally a second and she was gone!” Nicole ruffled Amelia’s hair as she smiled at Waverly. “I want a promise you won’t disappear on me at the park or we’re not going, young lady!” Nicole looked down at her daughter and held up her hand ready for a high five. Waverly once again couldn’t help but adore this exchange, Nicole was firm but fair. 

“I promise!” Amelia slapped her hand against Nicole’s with as much force as she could, which made Waverly giggle as it really wasn’t that much. 

“You up to much just now? We were going to have a picnic if you wanted to join us?” Nicole hadn’t found the time to organise anything with Waverly since the day she got back into town despite her desperate want to. Being new to town herself she had no clue who was a reliable babysitter but she only had two more days off work before Amelia would be going to Kindergarten so if she wanted to see Waverly it had to include Amelia’s presence for the time being. 

“Sounds great, I’m off today so, yeah! I’d love to!” Waverly mentally checked anything that needed to go into the refrigerator off her list, even though she really did need a couple of them. She could easily swing by later on her way home, she would happily do multiple shops if it meant she had some time with Nicole. 

They parted ways only to finish their respective grocery shopping agreeing to see each other out front. Waverly picked up a couple extra snacks she thought would be a good addition to the picnic before paying for her things. After dropping her bags to her car she got into Nicole’s, it made sense to leave hers there if she was going to be back in a couple hours anyway. 

The interior of Nicole’s car was spotless and for some reason this made perfect sense to Waverly, she wished she had the ability to keep her own clean for more than a day or two. Nicole turned on the stereo and some kid’s songs started playing, Nicole explained that the only way to keep Amelia awake while in the car was to keep her singing. That is exactly what Amelia did the whole way to the park only stopping at the beginning of each new song to ask Waverly if she knew the words. The answer each time was no which only made Amelia sing louder so Waverly could learn. Waverly hadn’t spent much time around kids since she was one herself and even then this sort of music wasn’t what she got to listen to, she probably would have loved it at the time but now she didn’t know how Nicole managed to deal with it in every car journey. 

“You learn how to tune it out…mostly!” Nicole leaned over to Waverly in the passenger seat and spoke just loudly enough for her to hear. She could see the fake smile plastered on Waverly’s face every time she turned to answer Amelia’s questions. Waverly chuckled as Nicole fake shot herself in the head with her fingers in the shape of a gun, the things normal parents did for the happiness of their children always made Waverly feel a little jealous that she had never experienced such warmth but being able to see it firsthand here with Nicole and her daughter made her ridiculously happy. 

After they had eaten most of their picnic Nicole let Amelia go off and play, keeping a close eye on her as she ran around with other kids her age. She never had a problem making friends and Nicole hoped that would continue when she started Kindergarten in a few days, uprooting her life like this didn’t seem to phase her but Nicole still feared that settling in might be hard. 

“She’s a great kid Nicole!” Waverly leaned back on the grass propping herself up on her elbows as she followed Nicole’s line of sight to where Amelia had found a couple other girls to play with. 

“She really is…even with everything that happened with my ex I wouldn’t change a damn thing cause then I wouldn’t have her!” Nicole took a quick glance back at Waverly before reclining herself to mirror her position on the grass. “I’m sorry I haven’t called, just with getting her settled in and having no one to look after her I figured it was best to wait until we were actually able to make a plan!” 

“Hey, don’t worry about it! I can’t imagine what it must be like. Was this the plan all along? Have her move here once you got yourself settled in?” Waverly picked at the grass absentmindedly as she studied Nicole’s profile, even more impressive in the beautiful summers day sun. 

“No, when we separated, Shae, my ex, got primary custody. I was able to see Amelia whenever I wanted but what with me being in the academy and Shae having a significantly higher salary than mine it just made sense that she would live with her most of the time. Shae’s also her biological mother so I couldn’t really compete with that…” Nicole hated that she had to play nice with Shae during all the proceedings to make sure that her right to see Amelia wouldn’t be taken away. 

There was no chance that they were going to agree to Nicole having primary custody when she was barely making enough to cover her own living costs. Now Shae would have to send money to Nicole for Amelia, it was the only way the judge had agreed to amend the custody settlement. The one thing that Nicole had been thankful to Shae for was that she never used the fact Nicole and Amelia were not related by blood to get her way even if she could have, no matter how they felt about each other Amelia was both of theirs regardless of parentage. “She had been happy enough to move around with Amelia before but when the opportunity arose for her to teach in Europe she didn’t even think twice, she wasn’t allowed to take Amelia that far away from me without my consent and so she just decided to go herself. She arranged everything before she even told me that Amelia needed to come live with me.” 

“Wow…” Waverly was used to crappy parenting but that seemed incredibly selfish not just for Amelia but for Nicole as well. 

“Yeah…Shae can be pretty selfish, pretty much the main reason we didn’t work out!” Nicole sat forward hugging her knees, a protective instinct at maybe over sharing but her posture relaxed as Waverly’s hand started to rub her back. A soft smile graced her lips as she looked back at Waverly listening intently before she looked back over for Amelia and continued. “I took this job because it was only a half a days drive from where they were living and they actually really wanted me here. I just don’t understand how she could decide to go thousands of miles away from her daughter…I could never!” 

“Well I know we don’t know each other that well but I can tell that that’s because you’re a good person Nicole and an amazing mother! She’s lucky to have you!” Waverly stilled her movements along Nicole and let her hand rest in the small of her back, Nicole turned to look at her again with what Waverly could swear were tears in her eyes. 

“Y’know you’re the first person to ever say that to me?” Nicole blinked and as a tear fell she quickly swiped it away. Waverly sat up to face Nicole, their eyes mere inches from each others as Waverly’s hand moved from her back to the side of Nicole’s face. 

“You’re an amazing mother, Nicole!” With Waverly’s words alongside her soft touch every bit of tension left Nicole’s body and she leaned into the hand cupping her cheek as she closed her eyes. When her eyes opened she was faced with Waverly’s gentle smile and eyes moving from her own down to her lips before Waverly quickly refocused on her eyes again. Waverly wanted to kiss her so badly but she wasn’t sure if this was the right time or the right place, she decided she couldn’t care less and closed the gap between them. Nicole’s hand moved to Waverly’s cheek as their lips moved together, it was tender and wanton all at the same time. 

“Mommy!” Amelia’s voice tore them apart and they each let out a gentle laugh as the girl ran full pelt towards them. “I want to go on the monkey bars but I can’t reach!” She stuck her hands on her hips in frustration. Just as Nicole was getting up to go and help her, her phone started to ring. She pulled it out from her pocket and mouthed ‘Shae’ to Waverly before answering the call. 

“Come on, I’ll help you sweetie!” Waverly got off the grass and took Amelia’s hand as she took off running in the direction of the monkey bars. Waverly helped her make it across and then back and then across again before Amelia decided she’d had enough of that and wanted to go on the swings. 

Nicole watched the whole scene unfold as she spoke and listened to Shae, her heart was literally aching at the sight of Waverly being so good with her daughter. She had dated since she and Shae separated, of course, but no one had ever shown much interest in Amelia or simply ran at Nicole’s admission of having a child. Waverly was different, she was special and she wanted her to be someone special for her and for Amelia. 

“Are you listening to me Nicole?” Shae broke her out of her musings and she quickly apologized, explaining she was just watching Amelia play at the park. No point in mentioning Waverly to Shae, she wouldn’t want to know. “I said that Thursday evenings your time are the best for me to Skype with Amelia so please get your shifts arranged to accommodate that!” 

“Of course, Shae! She might be a little tired this week cause she’s starting school but I’ll try and keep her up, how about 6.30?” Nicole put on her best ‘let’s keep Shae happy voice’, despite her current feelings for her ex she would never put those before Amelia’s time to speak with her Mom. 

“That’s perfect, tell her I love her! I need to go!” Before Nicole could even say goodbye Shae had hung up. It irritated her more than she wanted to let it so before going over to the play park and telling Amelia her mom’s message she packed up the leftovers from their picnic and took the trash to the bin. Waverly began walking over with Amelia when she noticed Nicole heading their way and when they met Nicole picked her daughter up into her arms.

“Mom says she loves and misses you, honey!” Nicole placed a small kiss to Amelia’s cheek before studying her face to see how she would take the message, they hadn’t spoken too much about Shae since leaving her and Nicole’s wasn’t sure if Amelia had fully grasped how long it might be before she sees her again in person. 

“That’s nice!” Amelia grinned at her mother as she wriggled to get out of her arms and be placed back down on the ground. Nicole would never understand where Amelia got her constant sunny disposition from but she was more than glad that hearing her mother missed her didn’t result in any tears. “Are we going now?” Nicole nodded and Amelia started to skip towards the car park, she was such an easy child to deal with and maybe that’s why Waverly thought she was such a good mother. Maybe she wouldn’t fair so well with a tiny terror who screamed bloody murder when they didn’t get their way. Both Waverly and Nicole let out a breathy laugh as they watched Amelia bound off before starting to follow. 

Waverly found Nicole’s hand as they walked and intertwined their fingers before looking up at Nicole to check that it was ok, Nicole’s smile told her that it was more than ok and she brushed her thumb over Nicole’s. She couldn’t remember the last time she had had such a pleasant afternoon and she really didn’t want it to end. 

“Would you like to come round for dinner tonight? You and Amelia?” Waverly asked, being brave, she had to be when how much she wanted to spend time around Nicole scared her so. She didn’t know if Nicole would want to spend even more time with her after they had just spent the best part of two hours together. 

“Yeah…I really would!” Nicole pressed a kiss to the top of Waverly’s head as she leaned it against her shoulder for a couple seconds, silently thanking her for agreeing. “Amelia’s going to need a nap though so how bout I drop you at your car and we come over around 5?” 

Waverly agreed that that was an excellent plan, it meant she would be able to grab what she hadn’t earlier from the store and pick up what she needed to cook a meal for more than just one tonight. Waverly programmed her address into Nicole’s GPS as Amelia fell asleep on the drive back to her car. With Amelia fast asleep Nicole had the perfect opportunity to steal a couple kisses before Waverly had to get out. This time Waverly couldn’t help herself from reaching up into Nicole’s hair as their lips met, she hadn’t kissed anyone since Champ and he was literally nothing compared to how amazing it felt to kiss Nicole Haught. Her body was starving for attention, she suddenly realised, it had been lonely without anyone but herself to satisfy her. God she knew Nicole could satisfy her. 

Nicole was equally as flustered kissing Waverly, hands finding their way to her waist before her fingers found a small path of bare skin between Waverly’s pants and top. The contact drew a little moan from Waverly after which they both looked back to make sure Amelia was still asleep in her car seat. A little breathless and a whole lot turned on Waverly managed to tear herself away and got out the car, after she watched Nicole drive off she did her best Amelia impression and skipped straight into the store.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you to everyone that has left kudos and commented on this so far, I managed to get a whole lot written for this on my day off so I should be posting the next chapter pretty soon!


	4. Chapter 4

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey guys, I'm going away for a couple days so I figured I'd upload a new chapter to tide everyone over until I'm back! 
> 
> Thank you to everyone's continued interested in this story, I'm sorry I don't reply to every comment but I feel like I would just be repeating myself over and over so to all of you, thank you! 
> 
> I hope you enjoy, I'm still setting the ground work for their relationship here and in the next chapter before we really dive into the main storyline!

Waverly decided on something she knew was always a crowd pleaser and cooked lasagna with garlic bread, it had been some time since she cooked for anyone other than herself but she was confident in her culinary skills. She kept a look out for Nicole’s car in the driveway just incase she was early and periodically checked her appearance in the shiny surface of her toaster. She poured herself a small glass of wine to calm her nerves as 5 o’clock drew closer. Hearing tires on gravel Waverly made one final sweep of her house, deciding that yes it looked perfectly presentable and as child safe as she could make it. Anything easily breakable had been moved to higher shelves or taken up to Waverly’s room, she even got out a couple books she had as a child for if Amelia got bored.

Despite wanting to rush to the door immediately she decided to play it cool and allow Nicole to knock, even if she was just waiting directly behind the door. Waverly welcomed her and Amelia in before being presented with a bottle of wine, Waverly said that Nicole didn’t need to bring anything when she had asked earlier but Nicole insisted it was only proper for a guest to bring something the first time they were invited round to someone’s house. Waverly told them to make themselves at home in the living room as she went to put the wine in the fridge and check on the lasagna. She set the timer on the oven and went through for any drink requests. She’d stocked up the fridge with three different kinds of juice boxes for Amelia and two different kinds of beer just in case. 

“I’ve got beer, wine or juice?” Waverly stood in the doorway to the living room and watched as Amelia emptied her small backpack onto the floor, two colouring books, some crayons and a small fluffy bunny tumbled out. 

“I’ll have a beer thanks, sweetie what do you want?” Nicole bent down to fetch the bunny off the floor, Amelia tended to suck on its paw while she slept and she hated the fact it was so often left on the floor. 

“Apple please!” Amelia looked up from her colouring and smiled at Waverly. 

“You got it!” Waverly spun around and mentally thanked herself for going back to the drinks aisle just before heading to the check out and picking up a pack of apple earlier. With two beers and a juice box in hand she headed back to the living room before sitting down next to Nicole, she had wanted to kiss her as soon as she arrived but with Amelia around she really wasn’t sure what Nicole was comfortable with. She settled for a quick peck to her cheek as she handed off the beer before setting Amelia’s apple juice on the table. 

“You’ve got a beautiful home Waverly, you live here all by yourself?” Nicole’s eyes had been scanning the room for any family photos but she had only seen one of Waverly’s graduation, she presumed high school from the braces that she was sporting. Nicole’s cop instincts had kicked in and she worried about a woman living so far out from town on her own. 

“Yeah, I grew up in this house til I went to live my Aunt and Uncle. Moved back here when Gus decided to downsize after my Uncle passed away.” Waverly said with a smile that didn’t quite reach her eyes, Nicole lay a hand on her knee in a silent show of support and sympathy. “My sister blows through town every couple of years and now she’ll stay here with me for a couple months, then she’s off on her adventures again!” 

“Must get lonely!” Nicole said it before she even realised and quickly apologized, she didn’t mean to assume anything about Waverly’s life. 

“No, you’re right…it does sometimes but I have Gus and now I have you guys!” Waverly’s smile this time was near blinding and Nicole couldn’t help but reciprocate and give her a nod in agreement. 

“Well I can sympathise with the lonely aspect, can’t exactly say I’ve made many friends since I got to town! This is actually the first time I’ve been round to anyone’s place!” Nicole let out a laugh as she told Waverly that Lonnie had offered her to come round any time for dinner but that his wife’s cooking wasn’t exactly palatable. 

“It’s tough being new here, everyone has practically known each other their whole lives!” Waverly knew from experience that that could be a good thing or a very bad thing. The timer went on the oven and Waverly went through to start serving with Nicole and Amelia following closely behind. It smelt amazing and Amelia jumped up and down at the sight of lasagna. 

“Ok, I’m pretty sure you’re trying to win my daughters affection over here! That’s her favourite!” Nicole feigned some jealously as she lifted her daughter onto a seat at the table. Waverly blushed because she was definitely trying to win someone’s affection, she wished she had asked what Nicole’s favourite was. As they ate they conversed easily, Amelia was excited to start school and Nicole was happy to be getting back to work, it wasn’t easy for her to be away from the job she loved. Both women were shocked at how comfortable it felt, how easy it was to just be around each other. If either of them could have known that this was how it would feel to spend real time together they would have done it weeks ago. 

After they ate Nicole’s internal struggle between getting Amelia home for bed and spending more time with Waverly raged within her, she couldn’t wait to find a sitter. Not that she didn’t love how amazing Waverly was with her daughter but she craved some alone time with the woman. She could tell Waverly felt the same, the lingering looks over dinner and Waverly taking full advantage of any excuse to physically touch her, when she asked if she wanted another drink or to pass the bread. She decided the least she could do was help Waverly clean up before she left, she set Amelia up in the living room with her colouring before clearing the table and helping with the dishes. 

“You know you two could always spend the night? There’s plenty space…” Waverly was probably coming off as desperate or needy but at that moment she really didn’t care enough to stop herself. She wanted Nicole to stay so badly. She walked up behind Nicole who was standing at the sink, she placed her hands on either side of her and placed her lips to her shoulder wishing more than anything that the thin piece of material separating her from skin would disappear. Nicole let out a staggered sigh and turned around to face her, Nicole’s eyes were closed because she knew one look at Waverly would have her agreeing to anything she asked. 

“Wave…” Nicole placed her hands on Waverly’s waist blindly, Waverly reached up and set her hands on either side of Nicole’s face before leaning in to kiss her. The moan that escaped from Nicole’s mouth screamed of need but she pulled back from Waverly and opened her eyes. “I want to, god I want to you but I want Amelia to have some sort of routine right now…the second I find a sitter I promise!” 

“I’m gonna hold you to that!” Waverly tried to hide her disappointment, obviously she failed because Nicole looked like she’d just ruined a perfectly good evening and that’s exactly how she felt. 

“You won’t be able to keep me away, Waverly!” Nicole kissed her again as she wrapped her still slightly damp hands tighter around Waverly’s waist. They stood there wrapped up in each other for a few moments before Nicole really needed to get Amelia, Waverly followed her into the living room to potentially one of the most heartwarming things she’d ever seen. Not only was Amelia wrapped up in a blanket on the couch fast asleep with that bunny’s paw in her mouth but she had drawn a picture that now sat on the coffee table. It was her best attempt of Waverly pushing her on the swings. Nicole couldn’t bare to move her when she looked so comfortable. 

“Well it would appear someone has made my decision for me…” Nicole laughed as she straightened up the blanket around her daughter and kissed her forehead. Waverly turned on the small lamp in the corner of the room before turning off the main light, she locked the front door and Nicole gave her a knowing look before Waverly took her hand to lead her out of the room and up the stairs. 

***

Waverly woke the next morning to the sound of laughter coming from downstairs, she turned over in the bed to find it empty of Nicole. Her hand unconsciously went to touch her lips as she thought of the night she had just spent with Nicole, it had been everything that Waverly had been craving and more than she ever expected. Still very naked Waverly got out of bed and threw some pajamas on before making her way downstairs. The scene in the kitchen was almost too much, Nicole and Amelia making breakfast in her house, it felt right. Was it too soon for this to feel so right? Waverly shook her doubts from her head as she made her way further into the kitchen.

“Good morning!” Waverly practically sang as the girls turned to face her, Amelia with a mouth full of pancake and Nicole looking impossibly beautiful despite the obvious lack of shower yet. Nicole set down the pan and turned off the gas before making her way over to Waverly and sweeping her into a brief kiss. It took Waverly a little by surprise, she hadn’t been sure how affectionate Nicole wanted to be in front of Amelia but obviously she wasn’t too worried about it now. 

“Mornin’.” Nicole beamed as they separated their kiss. “Hope you don’t mind I raided your kitchen…Amelia was hungry and I didn’t want to wake you!” Nicole gently squeezed Waverly’s waist before releasing her. 

“Of course not, as long as you’ve not eaten all the pancakes!” Waverly laughed as she jumped forward and took a bite out of the pancake that Amelia was holding in her hand. Amelia giggled and ran away clutching the pancake to her chest before pointing to the stack beside the stove. Waverly moved round and put one on a plate before placing it on the table and getting Amelia to sit and finish eating. Nicole was back at the stove and Waverly placed a small kiss and then her forehead onto Nicole’s shoulder. “Last night was….” 

“It really was…” Nicole sighed closing her eyes as the image of Waverly coming undone beneath her replayed over and over in her mind. 

“I’m really glad you stayed!” Waverly leaned up and kissed Nicole’s cheek before picking up two pancakes from the stack to put onto her plate. She sat down at the table and proceeded to cover them in maple syrup before tucking in. She couldn’t remember the last time she’d had pancakes but she always kept some syrup in the cupboard for when the urge might come upon her. Waverly definitely wasn’t going to be making her run this morning but she hoped the workout she had got last night would be more than enough to compensate for such an unhealthy breakfast. 

Waverly wanted to spend the day together, all three of them but sadly she had to work. After Nicole and Amelia left, her home felt more empty than it had in years but it didn’t do anything to deter how phenomenal a mood she was in. She had got the girl…woman and it had been everything. She had been starving, struggling for air in a world full of oxygen until the moment Nicole’s bare skin had come into contact with her own. Nothing could have prepared her for what it was like making love to Nicole, was it just because she was a woman? Waverly had a feeling that it had a little to do with that but everything to do with who that woman was. 

When she made it to Shorty’s a little early for her shift Gus immediately picked up on Waverly’s mood, the spring in her step that she had noticed after the mysterious redhead had been in the bar a few days back. Waverly hung up her bag and jacket in the back before coming to help her stock the bar for the day, Waverly couldn’t help but sing along to the music playing softly in the background. 

“Someone’s in a good mood today!” Gus smiled at her niece as she practically floated around the bar. “Anyone in particular I’ve got to thank for this?” 

“Maybe…” Waverly gave a shy smile. “I’m not sure what this is just yet Gus but I promise, you’ll be the first to know!” Waverly knew what she wanted this to be but there had been very little talking about what exactly her and Nicole were to each other yet. Waverly didn’t want to assume but in her heart she felt that Nicole and her were on the same page, she would just need to confirm that. Gus didn’t mind who Waverly was with as long as she made that niece of hers happy, not everyone in town may be so open minded but Gus thought if anyone could open them it would be Waverly. She didn’t know a single person in town that had a bad word to say about her niece, something that filled Gus with pride to no end. 

Waverly’s day progressed and when she had a minute to check her phone she was pleasantly surprised to find not one but two texts from Nicole. 

_15.24_  
N-Hope you’re having a great day xx  
15.25  
N-I can’t stop thinking about last night….xxx 

Nicole had wanted to be brave, to show Waverly just how special it had been for her as well. Waverly’s confession as they lay together slowly falling asleep, that she had never been with a woman before threw Nicole a little. She honestly couldn’t tell, sure she hadn’t been the most experienced but she had just known how to make Nicole feel good. It surprised her more because of how bold Waverly had been approaching the subject of Nicole spending the night, there was absolutely no fear of the unknown. Maybe it was because Waverly felt what Nicole did, that somehow in some weird way it felt like they had always known each other. 

Nicole had stopped believing in the idea of soul mates, she thought Shae had been her perfect match until she wasn’t but if Nicole was being totally honest with herself nothing with Shae had ever felt as right as it had with Waverly. That scared her shitless but in the most exciting way imaginable. Nicole did need to be careful though, Amelia was quickly getting attached to Waverly and if Waverly didn’t feel the same way about Nicole as she did then there needed to be some ground rules put in place and quickly. 

_16.01_  
W-Me neither…could I call you tonight after I finish at 10? We should talk about what this is xx 

_16.03  
N-You could….or you could come over? xx _

_16.04  
W-That sounds like a much better idea! :) xx _

Nicole breathed a massive sigh of relief before sending Waverly her address, surely if she had wanted to cool things off Waverly would have been more comfortable just speaking over the phone. Amelia would already be in bed, ready to start kindergarten the following day and that would give them a real chance to speak without interruption. After cooking dinner she went about putting some sort of order into the chaos that was her place since Amelia had arrived, there were still a couple boxes with her things laying around which she finally had incentive to tidy away.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm sorry to anyone who was looking forward to a load of smut in this chapter, I would have loved to write it but I simply didn't think I could do their first time together justice and so I will leave it up to your imagination! There is some coming don't worry just don't get your hopes up for some earth shattering stuff, as I've said before there are far more competent smut writers out there than me but I hope you enjoy what I do provide in that department! 
> 
> I'm enjoying writing this story so much and most of that is down to the wonderful comments I have received so once again thank you :)


	5. Chapter 5

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> **Content warning - mentions of child abuse **

Waverly’s eyes barely left the clock in the last half hour of her shift and when 10 o’clock rolled around she was grabbing her stuff and out the door before Gus could even say goodbye. She laughed and shook her head, Waverly had it bad and Gus prayed that this woman would do right by her niece.

Waverly knocked on the door to the small house gently, knowing that Amelia would be asleep. She waited patiently for Nicole to come and answer but it just didn’t seem fast enough, Waverly wanted to see her face, touch her lips and her hair and…

“Hey!” Nicole beamed as she opened the door and moved so Waverly could enter, she did so but not before kissing Nicole only for a split second. She couldn’t let herself or Nicole get distracted, she had come here with a goal in mind and that was to figure out what they were to each other. Nicole lead her through to the modest living room with only a few personal touches, Waverly shrugged off her jacket before sitting on the couch. Nicole sat next to her angling into her with one leg tucked under the other.

“So you wanted to talk?” Nicole was suddenly very nervous, what if she had made the wrong assumption and Waverly felt like she should be a good person and speak to her face to face about taking things slower or just stopping them altogether. 

“Yeah…I just…” Waverly took a deep breath and looked deep into Nicole’s eyes, the eyes that told her she didn’t need to be afraid of this, of how she felt or what she wanted to say. “I’ve never felt like this, the day after I mean…I can’t get you out of my head and not just the sex, which of course I can’t stop thinking about but I keep thinking of you, your smile with those impossibly cute dimples and your voice and your lips…” Waverly fingers reached forward and ghosted over Nicole’s lips as they turned up into a smile. “I want this Nicole and I know that maybe it’s moving a little fast so I’m happy to slow things down a little if you want as long as we still spend time together and I know that you probably want to make sure Amelia is ok with all of this or that she doesn’t get confused…” 

“Waverly…” Nicole held onto Waverly’s hands and pulled her closer before placing a painfully quick kiss to her lips. 

“Sorry…I ramble when I’m nervous and god you make me nervous, Nicole!” Waverly blushed as she leaned into the back of the couch with her shoulder. Waverly hadn’t been nervous to sleep with Nicole despite her lack of experience with women, far from it but these feelings made her nervous. What if Nicole didn’t feel the same way and she had to go back out into the world without her? Knowing that there was so much more to feel than she had ever realised and it was taken away from her. 

“I want this too Waverly and just the fact that you would even consider Amelia’s understanding into this scenario means the world to me!” Nicole leaned back against to coach so she was closer to Waverly’s face, there still seemed to be some trepidation in Waverly’s eyes so she reach forward and ran her fingers along her jaw. “This does feel a little fast but it also just feel so _right_ y’know?” Nicole lifted Waverly’s chin with her finger and brought their lips together, Waverly nodded as it deepened and quickly wrapped her fingers into Nicole’s hair. 

“So right…” Waverly managed to breath out when their lips parted to grab some air. “And Amelia?” 

“She’ll be ok as long as you stick around, she likes you a lot! Wouldn’t stop talking about you today actually!” Nicole laughed as she ran a hand through her now ruffled hair. The action made Waverly bite down on her lip _hard_ as she recalled the sight of Nicole doing just that from between her thighs the night before. Waverly didn’t plan on not sticking around, she was exactly where she wanted to be. “Do you want to stay tonight?” Nicole raised her eyebrows knowing exactly the effect she was having on the woman in front of her. Waverly didn’t have to say anything, her answer was pretty clear when she inched her way over to straddle Nicole where she sat on the couch and placed shameless kiss after kiss to her lips then her neck before tearing open her shirt to have access to her breasts. 

Nicole shifted her position slightly and pulled her leg out from underneath her allowing Waverly’s centre to press right into Nicole. She raised her hips into Waverly as she tangled her fingers into Nicole’s fiery curls, taking the opportunity to kiss Waverly's neck. The moan that left Waverly's mouth involuntarily was all the encouragement Nicole needed to wrap her hands around Waverly’s legs to lift her up as she stood. Waverly let out a shocked laugh, Nicole was _strong_ and Waverly wasn't quite sure what to do with that information just yet. She wrapped her arms securely around Nicole’s neck and crossed her ankles behind Nicole’s back as she was carried down the hallway. Nicole kept her mouth on Waverly’s to keep her quiet while moving past Amelia’s bedroom thankful that the two bedrooms were as far away from each other as possible in this tiny home. 

Waverly had not only worked her own but Nicole’s shirt mostly off before the door to the bedroom was even closed, with Waverly placed down on the bed Nicole made quick work of undoing her own belt as she watched Waverly slip her top slowly down her shoulders. Nicole faltered for a moment with her jeans button at the sight, before Waverly reached forward to take care of it for her, letting them fall to the floor before kicking them over to the side. Waverly scooted back on the bed up towards the headboard, begging Nicole to follow her. Nicole obliged and crawled towards her desire, bottom lip firmly between her teeth. She still couldn't believe that Waverly was here and wanted her just as much as she wanted to devour every inch of Waverly's skin. Nicole could see the desire in Waverly's eyes, pupils blown to near complete darkness and she was more than happy to oblige. 

By the time Waverly was completely free of her clothes she was practically begging Nicole to take her, it had been less than 24 hours since she was last touched by those hands in this way but it had already been too long. Nicole teased her fingers on the edge of where Waverly was dying to be touched with a wicked grin before relenting and pushing past soft curls to circle her clit slowly at first and then with purpose. She was soaking already, almost embarrassingly so but Nicole's moan when she _felt_ made Waverly smile. The smile quickly turned to a gaping mouth letting out strangled breathes as Nicole took one taut nipple into her mouth, relishing it with the occasional flick of her tongue. 

“Nicole…please!” Waverly’s moan was stifled, almost a whisper, trying so hard to be quiet. Too aware of the sleeping child down the hall. Nicole couldn’t bare holding back for another second, she thrust herself into Waverly’s core with two fingers as the woman below her brought her arm up to her mouth and bit down to hold back what was definitely going to be an earth shattering cry of pleasure. Nicole while noting Waverly’s actions as admirable knew that Amelia could sleep through an earthquake and she longed to hear Waverly’s pleasure out loud. 

“Baby, she won’t wake up! Don’t worry!” Nicole pulled the arm away from Waverly’s mouth and replaced it with her own never yielding her momentum towards Waverly’s release. 

“Baby?” Waverly smiled up when their lips divided, she felt like she could come on the spot from the use of such a pet name. Her clit throbbed and she wanted to hear it over and over. “Call me that again!” Nicole could feel Waverly tightening around her fingers, she was so close already. Nicole leaned forward brushing past her lips right to her ear while simultaneously starting to use her thumb to tease Waverly’s clit over and over. Nicole’s tongue caressed the earlobe only for a moment before a breathy whisper was released. 

“Come for me baby!” And that was all it took, Waverly’s entire body felt like it was floating and her legs jutted upwards wrapping themselves around Nicole’s body in an attempt to ground herself in this moment. Nicole moved slower and slower between Waverly’s legs, eventually withdrawing her fingers. She brought them up to her mouth as Waverly’s eyes were locked onto her action, lip clamped hard between her teeth. She cleaned Waverly’s essence from them with lips and tongue and Waverly thought she could go all over again. When she lay down next to Waverly, pulling her as close into her own body as possible Waverly made moves towards Nicole’s own arousal but her hand was stilled. 

“But you haven’t…” Waverly’s protest was cut short by a deep kiss, the faint taste of herself still on Nicole’s tongue. It drove her wild and for a brief moment she forgot where she was, what she had just wanted to do for Nicole. Then she was back on this planet again, Nicole staring at her with a look that she had never received before. If Waverly had been a betting woman she would have placed every dollar she had on it being love. 

“I can wait!” Nicole was a giver, always had been and she wanted to give Waverly everything tonight. There was not a hint of insincerity in her voice and it mustered up a fresh wave of arousal deep inside Waverly. Nicole’s gaze changed from tender to mischievous in the blink of an eye. “Got another one in you?” 

“God, yes!” 

***

 

 _Three months later_

Waverly had never been more sure what love felt like, these past few months with Nicole had gone way beyond any expectations she held for what a healthy, happy relationship should be. They spoke about everything and both of them listened, really listened to what the other had to say. 

They hadn’t moved in together but both of them had no idea why when they spent pretty much every night together either at Waverly’s or Nicole’s. Waverly had even made up a room at her place especially for Amelia, it had been her eldest sister Willa’s room and she wanted someone to create happy memories in there again. 

Once the townsfolk started to realise that they were a couple, Waverly figured it was important for Nicole to hear about her past from her own mouth rather than the residents of Purgatory who seemed to have nothing better to do than gossip about memories long past. She explained all about her mother and Willa dying when she was four years old, a car accident in the height of winter, the most brutal winter that Purgatory had ever seen. She didn’t remember them but she remembered what came after, her father driven to drink haunted by their deaths, which quickly turned to an abusive streak on Waverly and her remaining sister Wynonna. 

Wynonna always got the worst of it, she protected Waverly as best she could taking beating after beating for spills and breakages that had nothing to do with her. Gus had tried so many times to take them away, save them from what Ward had become. A shadow of the man she had known and loved and who had loved her sister with every inch of his being. He threatened her time and time again, to dare to take his children away from him, his gun always in his hand, always loaded. Gus couldn’t know, but the beatings were always worse after she had come by and one night when Wynonna couldn’t take anymore damage from his hands without needing the emergency room, he turned on Waverly, belt in hand and Wynonna snapped. She grabbed his gun and she did the only thing she could. She shot. And she shot again. And again until he couldn’t hurt them anymore. She was fifteen years old and while Waverly thought of her as her hero, that wasn’t how Wynonna felt. 

Gus and Curtis took them in then, never having children of their own they tried their best as parents and while Gus was not the maternal type her efforts were enough for Waverly to feel safe, to feel at home. Wynonna however, was too beaten down, too numb from what her father had done and what she had ultimately had to do to him to accept the love that was given and the family they were becoming. Three years later she left, hoping to put some distance between the person she was and the person she felt she was supposed to be. The last time Wynonna had come back Waverly begged her to stay even though she knew it was a fruitless endeavor. 

Nicole had cried for Waverly’s lost childhood after the story was over. She held on so tight to Waverly that night it almost made up for it all but there wasn’t anything that could change what had happened. Nicole couldn’t wrap her head around the fact that such a beautiful person inside and out like Waverly had had such repugnant things happen to her, it broke her heart but it made so much more sense then why Waverly had been so amazing to Amelia. 

Nicole shared her own past with Waverly too, it certainly wasn’t as tragic but Waverly comforted her just as Nicole had all the same. Nicole’s parents were not supportive of her ‘lifestyle choice’, she had hoped that when she told them about Shae’s pregnancy that they might want to get to know their granddaughter. That hadn’t been the case, they referred to Amelia simply as Shae’s daughter not Nicole’s because how could Nicole have a daughter that wasn’t even related to her. It shattered her. 

It was why it meant so much to Nicole that Waverly saw her as such a great mother, these were the things you hoped to hear from your family but it had never happened. Shae had been there for Nicole through it all until it became too much, she couldn’t fully understand because her parents had always been there for her before they passed away and Nicole was sure she just didn’t want to understand. Shae once told her she was lucky to still have her parents even if they didn’t agree with how she lived her life and while Nicole didn’t argue that fact, it didn’t make it any easier to deal with their disapproval. 

She still sent them emails with pictures of Amelia every month even though they never replied. Waverly was the only person that Nicole had ever shared that with, even Shae didn’t know. Waverly had realised she was in love with Nicole that night although it would take her another few weeks to actually say the words out loud and Nicole had immediately replied with her own confession of love. 

They had fallen into a perfected routine quickly but it felt anything but stale. Nicole could feel them becoming a family of their own, something that Shae and her never shared because Amelia was still so young when they split. She didn’t want to scare Waverly with these thoughts just yet but there was something that Nicole had been meaning to ask Waverly. 

Amelia could only be picked up by someone on her family list or someone that Nicole put down as an emergency contact with the school but she wasn’t sure how Waverly would feel if she asked her to be that for Amelia. It would mean Amelia didn't have to hang around waiting for her mother on the odd days when she got stuck in the station a little longer than she should have. Nicole trusted Waverly with Amelia implicitly and she could be flattered by Nicole asking this of her or she could be petrified that Nicole thought so much of where they were or where they were heading to do so. 

Nicole had finally summoned the courage on a chilly Sunday afternoon when they arrived back at Waverly’s from a groceries trip. 

“Nicole, of course! That’s perfectly ok!” Waverly grinned over a pack of chips sticking out the top of one of the bags she was carrying up to the house. 

“Really? Cause you know don’t have to just because I asked?” Nicole balanced a bag on her hip as she turned the key Waverly had given her for emergencies and Amelia pushed the door open before running inside and flicking the television on. Her favourite show had just started and she began dancing round the living room singing along to the theme tune. While Nicole really hoped that Waverly would say yes she wanted to give her an out if this was too big a step. 

“Nicole…” Waverly set the bags down on the kitchen table beside where Nicole had left the others and moved to wrap her arms around Nicole’s waist. “I’m not just saying yes because I love you and I would definitely, absolutely do anything you asked me to! I would do anything for Amelia as well!” Waverly leaned up on her toes to kiss the tip of Nicole’s nose before bringing their lips together, Nicole sighed into it and felt Waverly’s words echo in her head. Nicole knew how Waverly felt about Amelia but hearing her say those words made her stomach do the most spectacular flips, she couldn’t have imagined a better response to her request. 

Waverly had never said as much to Nicole but Amelia had carved out her own space in Waverly’s heart completely separate from the space that was occupied by Nicole, the trust that Nicole had put in Waverly in regards to Amelia only made it more important that it had worked out this way. When Nicole had to work nights on the odd occasion, Waverly looked after Amelia and now Amelia wanted Waverly to be the one to read to her before she went to bed every night. Waverly had managed to swap her shift patterns at Shorty’s so most nights she could fulfill her request. Gus hadn't been thrilled at her request at first but when she explained she was more than happy to help Waverly out. Nicole and Amelia were a package deal and in brief dark moments when Waverly’s insecurities decided to plague her, she thought of how awful it would be to lose Amelia from her life if things didn’t work out with Nicole. 

“I’m so happy you feel that way, baby! I love you too!” Nicole sighed again as her love nestled into her chest and she smoothed her hands down Waverly’s back before placing a soft kiss to the crown of her head. 

“Uh..hey, babygirl!” Waverly’s eyes shot open to see a figure standing in the hallway, all leather jacket and skin tight jeans and the wavy brown locks of a damn goddess. 

“Wynonna!” Waverly shrieked in delight, pulling back slightly from Nicole but keeping her hands in place at the small of her back. “You’re back!” Wynonna held up her arms as if to say ‘well that’s obvious’ while her eyes scanned the tall redhead that her sister was clinging to. 

“And this is…” Wynonna pointed at Nicole while directing the question at her sister and Waverly groaned at her inability to have an ounce of manners even when meeting someone for the first time. Nicole was the one to pull away this time, not surprised that Wynonna didn’t know about her but that didn’t make the sting she felt any lighter. 

“This is Nicole…my girlfriend.” Waverly gave the tiniest smile and Wynonna could tell that her baby sister was nervous. She may not be good at people but she was good at Waverly. Nicole gave a little wave in Wynonna’s direction happy that Waverly had identified her in such a way even though she could feel the nerves screaming from the tension in her shoulders. Wynonna gave a wave back in kind adding what she hoped would come off as a genuine smile. Her head turned as she heard footsteps approaching from the living room, no doubt drawn to the unfamiliar voice in the house. Amelia fell into place beside Waverly, head against her leg and took her hand, needing some reassurance in the presence of a stranger. “And this is Amelia, Nicole’s daughter!” 

“Hi!” Amelia gave Wynonna a glimpse of her missing front tooth as she smiled upwards. 

“Sup…” Wynonna nodded her head towards Amelia and Waverly rolled her eyes. Wynonna wasn’t good with kids, she knew that but come on… _sup?_ really?! “Uh, I’m gonna head to Shorty’s…meeting up with a friend!” Wynonna was already heading out the back door, Waverly knew she was heading to the barn to fetch her bike that she stored there for whenever she decided to visit. She gave Amelia’s hand a little squeeze before releasing it and following her sister outside. 

“Wynonna, wait!” Waverly called after her, she turned on her heels and gave Waverly a very fake smile without showing a hint of teeth. “Who are you meeting? No offence but you don’t really have any friends in Purgatory…” 

“Uh mild offence, Waves! A friend took me to town, he dropped me off with my stuff and I said I’d meet him at Shorty’s. Ok?” Wynonna didn’t mean to be short with Waverly, she had really been looking forward to their reunion. She just hadn’t been prepared for what she was welcomed home with. Waverly had a girlfriend…ok not totally a surprise considering her obsession with Xena but there was a kid involved too? 

“Wynonna…are you…?” Waverly didn’t want to say what she was thinking out loud because what if it was true? What if Wynonna wasn’t ok with her being with a woman? She wasn’t sure how she would handle that…no in fact, she knew she would not be able to handle that but she needed to know. “Are you pissed I have a girlfriend?” The words rushed out so fast that Wynonna had to let her brain catch up to her ears. As soon as they did her whole posture softened, she had been an asshole. Wynonna hadn’t even thought about how her reaction could have been viewed. She closed the gap between the two of them and pulled Waverly into a tight hug. 

“Of course not, babygirl!” She squeezed her even tighter and Waverly breathed a heavy sigh of relief. “You seem like a real happy family…” The instant Wynonna said it Waverly understood… Waverly was all Wynonna felt she had in this world but now Wynonna was not all that Waverly had and that would feel like a punch to the gut. 

“We’ve only been together a few months, Wynonna…” Waverly pulled back from the hug so she could look at Wynonna as she spoke. She was attempting to downplay the situation, as if time had any bearing on her and Nicole’s relationship. She had been with Champ on and off for _years_ and they had come no where near close to what she had now with Nicole. Wynonna didn’t need to know that though, not yet. “How bout I head to Shorty’s in a bit and we can catch up? Properly!” 

“I’d like that and you can meet Doc, he’s actually a really good guy Waves…you’d be proud of me!” Wynonna winked, of course her friend was more than that, Waverly should have known. Waverly giggled and pushed Wynonna in the direction of the barn, they waved at each other before Wynonna disappeared inside and Waverly headed back to the house. She noticed Nicole looking out of the kitchen window with a curious look on her face, she held up the ‘Ok’ diving signal and Waverly returned it with a smile and nod. Wynonna was finally home again and everything was definitely ok.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Once again I hope you're enjoying, I wasn't entirely sure about the time jump but I wanted to have Nicole and Waverly's relationship well and truly settled before bringing Wynonna into the mix so I hope it worked!


	6. Chapter 6

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Here's a fairly long chapter for you to enjoy, I had considered separating this into two but decided against it. You'll probably be able to tell why!

Wynonna and Waverly’s real reunion at Shorty’s played out much the same as every other time she had come back to town. They told each other what had happened since they last saw each other while Gus hung around, not interrupting the girls catching up but listening intently to how Wynonna had been keeping. The older Earp girl may not have found a mother figure in her aunt the same way that Waverly had but that didn’t mean that Gus felt any less protective of her. She thought about her all the time, hoping she was being smart and safe and keeping herself out of trouble. Wynonna was also right, Waverly was proud of Wynonna for her choice in male companion. Doc was a true gentleman and even apologised to Waverly for Wynonna not letting her know she was coming to town before she showed up. He also didn’t bat an eye when Waverly talked a little about Nicole and hers relationship, which made him even more acceptable in her book. 

“I better get back Wynonna, Amelia is going to be upset if I miss her bedtime story two nights in a row!” Waverly set down the still half full bottle of beer she’d been nursing since she arrived. She pulled her sister into a hug and found it difficult to let go, she had missed her so much and even though Wynonna promised she was going to stay through Christmas and New Years this time, Waverly couldn’t help but feel if she let her out of sight she would disappear again. “I’m so glad you’re home just…keep it down when you get back tonight ok? Amelia has school in the morning!” Waverly kissed her cheek and held out her hand for Doc who took it slowly to his lips as he placed a delicate kiss against her fingers. Wynonna promised to be quiet when they got back and as far as Waverly could tell they had kept that promise.

Wynonna decided she needed to make up for her shitty introduction to Waverly’s girlfriend the day before and when she finally woke up around noon she asked Waverly if she could take them all out to dinner. Hearing Waverly gush over Nicole, while the tiniest bit vomit inducing was nice. She was thrilled that her sister had someone, even if it might mean she had a little less time for her. Waverly thought it was an excellent idea, she wanted Wynonna to get to know Nicole and Amelia but Nicole was working all evening. She brought it up with Nicole over the phone who suggested she take her break to coincide and as long as they went somewhere close to the station she couldn’t see why it couldn’t work out. 

After picking Amelia up from Kindergarten and letting her have a short nap, the two Earp sisters, Doc and Amelia drove into town to meet Nicole at the diner up the street from the station. Wynonna, while still getting used to seeing her sister in this role, couldn’t help but smile to herself as Waverly sung along with Amelia to every song that played on the drive over. Waverly insisted it was to keep Amelia awake in car journeys but Wynonna wasn’t sure her sister didn’t love every second of it. She was going to make an amazing mother to her own kid one day. 

Nicole was already at the diner when they arrived, they filed into the booth and Amelia sat on her lap fiddling with the walkie that sat on her shoulder while in uniform. 

“So tell me about yourself Nicole?” Wynonna asked once they had all ordered their food. “I can see you’re a cop but what else you got going on besides that and having a kid?” She smiled at Amelia, still unsure how to really behave around her but she was going to try, for Waverly. 

“Uh well, I…” 

_”Dispatch to Officer Haught.”_ Nicole’s walkie going off made Amelia jump before looking up at her mother and giggling. Nicole kissed her forehead lightly before taking it off her shoulder and bringing it to her mouth. 

“Officer Haught, responding.” Nicole rolled her eyes, literally nothing had happened in town all day and now that she has a moment to relax of course something had to happen. 

“Wait her last name is _HOT_?” Wynonna grabbed Waverly’s arm across the table and a wicked grin took over her face. Waverly groaned, she knew this was going to happen at some point. 

_”You still at the diner?”_

“Yes Lonnie, I literally just ordered my food!” She snapped, not only was Nicole annoyed she was probably going to miss this chance to bond with Waverly’s sister, she was also starving. She knew she shouldn’t be taking it out on Lonnie but she couldn’t help the frustration seeping into her voice. 

The door to the diner flew open and Sheriff Nedley walked in, caught Nicole’s eye and strode over. He had to do a double take on Wynonna to make sure he wasn’t seeing things, he gave her a curt nod before she shrunk down in the booth a little. 

“Sorry Haught, alarms been tripped at the bank! It’s probably nothing, that Mrs Jones sets it off at least twice a year by mistake but we gotta check it out!” He threw his thumb over his shoulder to his cruiser sitting outside and Nicole was already on her feet. She kissed Amelia on the cheek before placing her down in the spot she just vacated and leaned over to say goodbye to Waverly. Nedley cleared his throat as he stood waiting, he still wasn’t totally comfortable seeing his newest deputy and town darling Waverly Earp all loved up like this. His personal preference for a sign of affection was a slightly drawn out nod of his head which may or may not be accompanied by a smile. Waverly watched them leave the diner as Amelia snuggled in closer beside her. She loved that Nicole was a cop, a good one at that but sometimes the unpredictable nature of her job really ruined moments that could have been great. Wynonna had been trying, really trying to get to know her. 

“Will mommy be back in time for dinner?” Amelia looked up at Waverly with a devastated look in her eyes, Waverly knew Nedley would never have asked Nicole to go off like that when she was with her daughter if she didn’t have Waverly here to look after her but that didn’t stop it from hurting Amelia any less. 

“I don’t think so, sweetie!” Waverly wrapped her arm around her shoulders and rubbed up and down. “But we’ll see her at home, ok? She’s going to read your story with me tonight, she promised remember?” Amelia let a little smile grace her lips then which only grew when their food got brought to the table. By the time she had taken a couple mouthfuls it seemed the disappointment had gone and Waverly breathed a little easier. 

“So _hot_ huh?” Wynonna winked at Waverly in between bites of her burger, still a mouth full of food. 

“It’s _Haught_!” 

“Po-tay-to, Po-tah-to!” Wynonna laughed as she elbowed Doc trying to bring him in on the fun, he simply rolled his eyes. 

“I think it’s a lovely name…” He sighed popping a frie into his mouth, getting a touch of ketchup caught in his moustache before struggling with his tongue to get at it. Seeing that it amused Amelia he let himself struggle a little longer even crossing his eyes for comedic effect. Waverly smiled at the interaction as she mouthed ‘I like him’ to Wynonna who mouthed back ‘he’s mine’ and then the whole table was laughing. Waverly wished Nicole could have been stayed. 

To make up for her mother’s early departure Waverly let Amelia get dessert and when the enormous sundae arrived at their table she asked for a couple extra spoons to make sure Amelia didn’t even think she was going to be eating it all herself. Wynonna and Amelia ate most of it as Doc and Waverly looked at the pair amused, they were switching between play fighting with their spoons and taking mouthfuls of ice-cream and chocolate sauce. For a moment Waverly wondered how well Doc really knew her sister, how likely it was that he was simply her flavour of the month. He seemed like a really decent guy and Wynonna was all too well known in town for being a heartbreaker. 

Waverly was pulled out of her concerns, she could hear sirens in the distance, getting closer by the second and her eyes went to the window as a police cruiser sped by outside followed closely by not one but two ambulances. Her heart began to thud in her ears. That was the direction of the only bank in Purgatory. What if the alarm going off hadn’t been an accident? She leapt from her seat, panic written all over her face. Nedley and Nicole had gone without any backup. 

“Stay with Amelia!” Waverly looked to Wynonna who’s relaxed demeanor shifted the instant she saw the look of dread on her sisters face. “If I’m not back in half an hour, get her to the house!” And with that Waverly was out the door, she got round the corner to where they had parked and some shit-ticket had blocked her in. She didn’t have time for this and so she took off running. It wasn’t too far to the bank, she reckoned she could make it in less than five minutes if she ran like her life depended on it and in a way it did. 

Noticing the sirens had fallen silent, her legs pumped harder and her heart was in her throat. She repeated to herself over and over that Nicole was ok, she was going to be fine but for every time she told herself that another voice questioned, but what if she’s not? Her breathing was ragged, she had skipped far too many runs as of late and her body was certainly making her pay for it now. When the bank came into view there was one hell of a commotion outside, people were everywhere no doubt having come out to see what was going on but Waverly saw them only as obstacles to her goal. She pushed through the crowd and up to a make-shift barrier that had been formed by the police tape. She jumped over it with ease, even with her legs aching from the run, adrenaline was taking over. An arm reached out to try and stop her getting any further but she pushed them off and ran straight for the body she saw laying on the ground. The closer she got she could see the Purgatory sheriffs department uniform clear as day through the people huddled around. Red hair caught her eye as one of them leaned to the side. 

“Nicole?!” 

 

***  


“Sorry for tearing you away from Amelia like this, I needed Lonnie on the desk and you were the next closest…” Nedley apologised as they got into his car, Nicole was pissed but this was her job and her boss so she needed to do as he asked whether she liked it or not. 

“It’s alright, Waves has her!” Nicole smiled in reply, she knew Nedley wouldn’t have asked if not for Waverly being in her life. He would have gone in alone if he had to but that certainly was not protocol and on the off chance this was more than Mrs Jones being a police officer’s worst nightmare, she needed to be there. They drove and stopped a short distance away from the bank, getting out and surveying the scene. Nothing seemed out of the ordinary at a quick glance but they weren’t taking any chances. Nicole stood to the side of the entrance gun in hand, Nedley a few feet back. She swung the door open and Nedley pushed forward, gun also drawn. 

Nedley saw Mrs Jones first, sitting behind the glass, very still…too still. He kept quiet as he moved forward followed closely by Nicole. Looking around the rest of the room they couldn’t see anyone else in sight. Mrs Jones eyes flicked to their right quickly, if Nicole hadn’t been looking at her that very second she would have missed it. Nicole knew the layout of this building, to their right was the safe. She nodded at the woman, obviously in a tremendous amount of fear and held up her hand to indicate she should stay exactly where she was. The money wasn’t important, keeping any bank employees life’s safe was important. Nicole caught Nedley’s attention and nodded towards the safe, he understood and the two stalked quietly as possible to the entrance they could now see was wide open. They heard hushed voices and something was thrown from the safe in their direction. 

“Flash! Get down!” Nicole launched herself at Nedley who had taken the lead, as fast as she could she got them to cover but the initial flash bang was followed by a rapid succession of gunshots aimed high as she felt people running past her. Her eyes adjusted just as the last figure past. “Stop, police!” She raised her weapon as the masked character lifted their own backing out the door. She stood and ordered them to stop once again as she took a step forward for each one they took backwards. Now both out on the street, public safety was her number one concern. She could see a little clearer now, the mans stature was small but built. She could see the faint lines of tattoos on his neck where the mask ended. She couldn’t let an armed man go. Nicole heard the screech of tires as a vehicle tore down the street, his companions were gone and wherever this guy was going, it would now be on foot. 

“Stop or I will shoot you!” Nicole screamed, she had never shot anyone on duty before and she never wanted to but if she had no other choice, it had to be done. A shot fired from his gun and Nicole popped two to his chest. He had missed, shot went right through the window behind her, glass shattering onto the pavement. He fell but not before firing off another round straight to her chest. 

Nicole hit the ground hard, all of the air forced out from her lungs. She could have lost consciousness but she couldn’t be sure. The next thing she heard was sirens. She rolled over onto her back, ribs protesting and she felt suddenly very claustrophobic in her standard issue vest. She ripped her shirt open and tore at the Velcro to each side until it loosened and she could breath again. She tried to get up but her body wouldn’t allow it. 

“Fuck!” She rasped and she let her head fall back onto the ground. She heard footsteps running towards her and then past her to head inside the bank. She looked to see two EMTs entering, she was lying on the ground couldn’t they see her? A moment later and another two EMTs were at her side checking her over, she explained she had been shot but her vest had caught it. They shone a small torch into her eyes and seemed happy enough with the results as they asked her if she could stand. She would need help to do that, her whole chest felt like it was on fire. There was no way all her ribs were intact but she was alive. 

“Nicole?!” The screech was near deafening. _Waverly._ Waverly was here and she was on the ground struggling to move. She turned her head and saw her girlfriend heading straight for her. She used the EMT’s shoulder for leverage and pulled herself up to a seated position. Waverly fell to her knees in front of her, her eyes full of tears. “Oh my god, you’re alive!” Waverly put her hands on Nicole’s cheeks and kissed her, a little too hard and Nicole winced just before Waverly pulled back, realizing she had hurt her. Waverly’s face was covered in sweat and she was panting out each breath. Had she run here? 

“I’m alive! Wait Amelia’s not with you is she?!” Nicole sighed when Waverly shook her head. “Thank god for bullet proof vests!” Nicole tapped her chest and instantly regretted it as a fresh wave of pain coursed through her. 

“I ran all the way here, I saw the ambulances and then some asshat blocked in my car…” Waverly couldn’t stop running her hands down Nicole’s cheek, _she was alive_.

Waverly’s eyes started to look around, trying to make sense of what had happened and Nicole’s eyes followed. The man she had shot was still laying on the ground, blood pooling around him as a couple officers checked for a pulse. She quickly looked away. She turned to look inside the bank and she saw a gurney exiting, it looked like it was carrying Nedley. Waverly saw it too and ran over, there was a lot of blood but she couldn’t tell where it had come from. Was he not wearing his vest? 

“What happened?!” Waverly demanded, the EMT looked at his partner and then back to Waverly. “Please! I’m friends with his daughter!” 

“He took a bullet to the head, he’s alive but he’s lost a lot of blood.” They told Waverly which hospital they were taking him to as they got him in the back of the ambulance and if she wanted to call his daughter before the official channels managed to get to it then she should. To Waverly it didn’t seem like they were confident he was going to last too long, she had to call Chrissy now. Waverly dialed her number on her phone as she walked back over to Nicole. _That could have been her…_

Chrissy didn’t bother saying goodbye before she hung up her phone, Waverly could already here her running out of wherever she was as the line went dead. The sirens returned as the ambulance sped away and Waverly got back on the ground next to Nicole. She explained the situation with Nedley and Nicole went white. The shot that had missed her must have hit him, Nicole raced through all the ways she could have prevented this. She felt responsible, she should have taken the man down sooner. 

Nicole didn’t need to go to the hospital, EMT confirmed she had cracked a couple ribs and told her to take it easy but to get checked out by her doctor as soon as possible for a prescription to handle the pain. There wasn’t much else they could do. Waverly reluctantly left Nicole to bring the car to her and take her home. She called Wynonna on her way back to the diner, they were still there and Waverly told her what had happened. She told her to keep her mouth shut in front of Amelia, she didn’t need to hear anything that Nicole didn’t want to share with her. She was going to notice her mother was hurt but it was up to Nicole to decide how she explained that. 

Nicole gave the best description she could of the incident to the officers on the scene, how she heard a vehicle leave and the direction she thought it went. Every available officer in town had been called in but so far nothing out of the ordinary had turned up. These guys were smart, the first move had been to incapacitate the security guard who was tied up in the safe with them as they packed away the money, perfectly fine now but definitely shaken up. They had strapped a fake bomb to poor Mrs Jones’ seat and told her if she moved it would go off, Nicole wasn’t sure if that had happened before or after she had triggered the silent alarm. Their threat didn’t stop her from calling the station the second she saw Nedley get hit though. Nicole made a mental note to thank her when she had the chance.

Waverly had got Nicole home and into bed to rest, later that night she received a call from Chrissy. She thanked Waverly for letting her know what had happened to her father and informed Waverly that he was in a coma, unsure when or even if he would wake up. Waverly felt awful for her old friend, Nedley was all the family she had left. She promised to come and visit her and her father in the hospital the next day. She couldn’t get the thought that Nicole could have been the one laying in a hospital bed, clinging to life, out of her head. Standing in the doorway of the bedroom, she watched Nicole’s chest rise and fall, never more appreciative of how lucky she was to have this woman in her life. 

“Are you going to stand there all night or are you going to come to bed?” Nicole cracked open one eye to look at Waverly, she pushed herself off the wall and closed the door before joining Nicole. 

“I love you, you know that right?” Waverly gently wrapped her arms around Nicole, careful not to put much pressure on her ribs. Nicole nodded as she moved her head to rest against Waverly’s neck. “I don’t know what I would have done if I lost you today…” 

“Don’t think about it baby, I’m ok…I’m right here, you didn’t lose me!” Nicole peppered small kisses to Waverly neck as she spoke and Waverly bunched her hands into Nicole’s vest top. 

“But I can’t stop thinking about it…I saw you on the ground and I thought you were dead! Christ, what would I have told Amelia?!” Waverly’s mind had been in overdrive since they had got home, she had tried to be present while putting Amelia to bed but the thoughts that were circling her brain were overwhelming. She didn’t have Shae’s number, or even talked to her before, what if she had to call her to explain the Nicole had been killed on the job and now she had to come and get Amelia. Waverly couldn’t imagine her life without either of them in it but losing Nicole could only be made worse by losing Amelia as well. “I know you’re a cop but this is Purgatory…you just don’t expect these things to happen here!” 

“Waves…there’s probably nothing I can say that is going to calm you down right now but I love you! Today could have been a lot worse…just be thankful it wasn’t!” Nicole smiled and Waverly could feel it against her skin. She was right, Nicole was alive and Nedley was too…albeit in a coma but he was a tough son of a bitch and Waverly had faith that he would pull through. She filled Nicole in on his condition which made her whole body stiffen. Waverly ran her hands down Nicole’s back hoping to ease the tension there but it did nothing. 

“What’s wrong?” 

“I feel responsible. If I’d just taken him down quicker…” Deep down Nicole knew that she had followed protocol but that didn’t stop the voices in her head telling her she could have saved her Sherriff. Waverly silenced her with a deep kiss, glad that she could feel Nicole finally relax a little as they moved their lips together. 

“Sleep, baby…” Waverly moved her hands underneath Nicole’s top so she could trail her fingers up and down the skin of her back. Something she knew calmed Nicole down more than anything. She felt her breathing deepen as she slowly drifted off. Waverly lay awake for hours afterwards, silent tears falling every now and again as she tried and failed to get the image of Nicole, laying lifeless on the ground, out of her mind.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So yeah...didn't want to leave anyone hanging on this one! This fic is about to get a little more serious but there's still going to be plenty fluff involved! Thank you again to everyone who wants this to continue and those commenting, it's lovely to read!


	7. Chapter 7

The following few days were hard for Nicole, she had visited her doctor who had taken her off active duty for a short while. She could go back to desk duty in a couple days and she couldn’t wait. While it was nice getting to spend extra time with her daughter, it was driving her insane not being able to assist in the investigation of the robbery. Waverly had asked if she wanted to visit Nedley with her, she couldn’t, not yet. The guilt was still making her sick to her stomach and Waverly seemed to buy her excuse of her pain being too much to get in and out of the car. When Waverly returned with news that his condition hadn't changed the guilt swelled. 

She called the station everyday asking for updates but there were very few, the men had worn masks so the CCTV from the bank was useless and the license plate that they found by checking neighbouring businesses cameras were fake. They had yet to even identify the man who Nicole had taken down, his prints weren’t in any database and he had nothing personal on him that might help them figure out where he was even from.

Nicole was also finding it hard to deal with Waverly’s incessant hovering, Nicole knew she was doing it because she cared but it didn’t end even when Waverly was at work. She had forced Wynonna to send her updates every hour on Nicole’s pain levels. Catching on pretty quick that the constant questioning was just irritating Nicole, Wynonna decided to stop asking and just text Waverly what she wanted to hear. 

The hardest part though, was figuring out what exactly to say to Amelia. Nicole hated lying to her but there was no way that she was going to tell her daughter that she had been shot. She finally settled on the phrase, ‘work accident’, it was enough to explain why she couldn’t pick her up and why Waverly was always asking her if she was hurting. Wynonna was a great help when Waverly was out and almost as good with Amelia as Waverly was. Nicole really started to get along with her. All the time spent cooped up in their house, it was hard not to. Wynonna’s personal brand of comedy tended to be a little much for Amelia’s ears but after a couple stern looks from Nicole she got the message to keep it clean around her. Not that Nicole didn’t find it amusing, in fact she thought Wynonna was very funny and considering what she knew about their life growing up she was surprised at how well adjusted Wynonna seemed to be. 

“You taken your meds today, babe?” Waverly had just arrived home, she’d popped round to Nicole’s house to pick up some clean clothes for Nicole and Amelia and throw out the food going off in the fridge while Nicole recovered at her place. 

“Yes, Waverly! You watched me take them in the bathroom this morning!” Nicole rose from the couch a little awkwardly, her body was stiff from all the lazing about she had been doing. “I love that you care so much but can you just ease up a bit? It’s driving me a little crazy!” Nicole kissed the side of Waverly’s forehead when she finally made it over to where she was standing. 

“I’m sorry…I just want you better!” Waverly leaned into Nicole’s kiss, lifting herself onto her toes so her mouth was now level with Nicole’s. They hadn’t been intimate since before the shooting, Nicole physically couldn’t without a considerable amount of pain and it was making Waverly ache, especially when Nicole would slip a bit of tongue into her mouth like she was doing at that very moment. 

“Mommy, ew!” Amelia looked up from the drawing she had just started while sat at the dining table, Nicole laughed shyly at her daughters reaction. They had got a little more carried away than they would normally allow themselves in front of her. 

“Sorry, sweetie!” Waverly pulled back from Nicole and patted Amelia’s head as she took the seat next her. “You’re mommy is just so beautiful! What are you drawing?” Waverly winked up at Nicole who was now a lovely shade of crimson. 

“A kitty! Do you like cats? Can we get one?” Amelia gave her biggest smile and Waverly beamed back at the little girl. She had used to the term ‘we’ for the three of them a lot when talking about things she wanted to do and once she had even referred to Waverly’s house as her other home. It always made Waverly’s heart soar hearing how much Amelia saw her as a permanent fixture in her life and this time was no different. 

“Maybe, we’ll have to see what Mommy says!” Waverly leaned in closer as she prepared to fake whisper into Amelia’s ear. “I’ll put in a good word for you though!” She’d always wanted a pet but it was not something her and Nicole had ever talked about. She knew Wynonna wouldn’t be happy to have a cat around the place, leaving hair all over her extensively black wardrobe but this was her home too and who knew how long Wynonna would be hanging around this time. Nicole rested a hand on Waverly’s shoulder and squeezed gently before Waverly turned around and saw the smile she was wearing. They were definitely getting a cat. 

There was a knock at the door and Waverly immediately jumped up to answer it, Nicole took over her seat next to Amelia and admired the now fully formed purple cat she had drawn. The man at the door wore a suit, he screamed law enforcement. So much so that he really didn’t have to reach into his pocket to pull out the badge for Waverly but she was intrigued because he was definitely not local law enforcement. 

“Afternoon, miss. I’m looking for Officer Haught? This wasn’t the address on file but someone at the station said I could find her here.” Waverly studied the badge in front of her, this man, Special Agent Dolls, was FBI, what was an FBI agent doing here and what did he want with Nicole? Waverly led him inside to the kitchen where Nicole instantly stood at the sight of him. “Officer Haught? I’m special agent Dolls, I work in the organized crime unit of the FBI and I’d like to ask you some questions about the incident last week.” 

“Uh sure, my statement is already on file though…I don’t know what else I can help you with?” Nicole motioned for Waverly to take Amelia into the other room, Waverly picked her up along with her various drawing equipment and moved to the living room. After placing Amelia down she stood close to the doorway so she could hear what was being said in the kitchen. 

Dolls motioned for Nicole to take a seat at the table where he joined her and pulled out his phone. He brought up some pictures and swiped through them for Nicole to see asking if she recognized any of the men, she told him no and if they were the men responsible for the bank robbery she wouldn’t know since they had all worn masks. 

“I understand that officer, my question was more about whether you had seen them around town before the shooting. I know who was responsible, the MO is very similar to multiple other cases and those involved tend to spend some time in each area before they strike. Small towns like this, unfamiliar faces tend to stand out.” Dolls pulled back his phone, disappointed that Nicole couldn’t give him more information. Nicole wasn’t surprised to hear that those involved had done this before, they had been smart and meticulous, so much so that there wasn’t a single bit of usable DNA evidence in the bank for the police to work with. The gun used by the man Nicole took down, the flashbang used to disorientate her and Nedley so the others could make their escape, it was definitely planned out and not just by some low level criminals. 

“One thing is bothering me about this whole thing…” Nicole started, she had voiced her concern with fellow officers but they had brushed her off stating that criminals don’t make the smartest choices. Maybe a federal agent would take her seriously. “Why target such a small bank? They can’t have made off with more than $50,000. If they are professionals why not hit a bigger target?” 

“Sometimes they do but smaller bank equals less risk, these guys work for a cautious man…dangerous but cautious! I’ve yet to actually be able to arrest a single person in connection with these jobs…but I knew it was them just like I know this was as well.” Dolls leaned back into the chair leaving one arm resting on the table. Nicole couldn’t get a great read on the man sitting across from her, he seemed guarded and that would make sense given his job but there was a brief flash of something and Nicole was sure that catching these men meant a lot to Dolls, maybe everything. “I can tell you he won’t be pleased you took down one of his men, its unlikely he knows who you are but if you notice anyone tailing you or your…” Dolls trailed off as his eyes moved to the direction of where Waverly had gone, he didn’t want to assume anything or say the wrong thing. 

“Girlfriend, Waverly and that was my daughter.” Nicole stiffened, were they in danger? 

“Girlfriend.” Dolls nodded his head once and reached into his pocket to pull out his card, setting it on the table. “If you feel either of you are being followed, don’t hesitate to call me. I’ll be taking over this investigation so I’ll be in town a while. I’ll be sure to fill you in on my findings once my investigation here is complete. ” 

“Bullshit!” Nicole cringed as the words left her mouth before she could stop them, especially after he had just been so kind to offer his assistance if she needed it. “I’m sorry but there’s no way I’m getting shut out of this investigation!” Her hand had balled itself into a fist, her knuckles white. 

“I’m sorry officer but this is how it’s going to be, all files have already been turned over to my department.” Dolls sighed, he had thought it had been too easy when none of the officers at the station had complained and his dislike for lazy small town cops reached new levels. 

“That’s bullshit!” Nicole’s fist made contact with the table and she heard Waverly’s muffled gasp from just around the corner, of course she was listening in. “This is my town and my Sherriff laying in a coma thanks to these assholes! I’ll be on desk duty for a week starting Monday and you are out of you mind if you think I’ll be focused on anything but this case!” Nicole’s blood was boiling and when Dolls cracked a tiny smile she thought she was going to fly across the table and slap it off his smug face. 

“Well at least someone on this force seems to care…” Dolls was already impressed with Nicole before meeting her, he had gone over her record before meeting her and he could tell she was an excellent cop but passion…that’s what made an excellent investigator. “Look I’ll see what I can do about getting you clearance to work the case but I’m not making any promises alright?” Nicole, a little shocked he hadn’t fought her harder, let a small smile creep onto her face. 

“Good! I will see you on Monday!” Nicole stood and held her hand out, Dolls stood and shook it before making his exit. “I look forward to working with you!” Nicole added with an even larger smile before she closed the door behind him, not noticing the smile that had formed on his face. This was going to be exciting, it would be the most interesting thing she had worked on since she became a cop and she couldn’t wait to get started. When she turned back around her smile was wiped from her face at the sight of Waverly standing there, brow furrowed and arms folded tightly across her chest. “What?” 

“You heard him right? He said that man is dangerous and you killed one of his men…what if they want to hurt you as pay back?” Waverly pointed towards the door, keeping her voice low making sure Amelia couldn’t hear their conversation, she had a feeling this could end in an argument and she didn’t want her to notice. “And now you’re going to join an FBI investigation…Nicole…if something happens again….” Nicole placed her hands on Waverly’s suddenly slumped shoulders and slowly moved them down her arms before taking her hands. 

“This is my job, I can’t just sit back while someone else investigates something that happened in my town.” Nicole’s voice was soft and she was trying to look in Waverly’s eyes but she wouldn’t meet her gaze. “Look at me, Waverly! If I can help catch these guys then everyone will be a safer, please don’t make me feel guilty for doing what I love…” Waverly finally met her eyes as she uttered that last part. Waverly didn’t mean to make her feel guilty, she never wanted Nicole to chose between her or her job. This was something she was going to have to get used to but it didn’t make it any easier. She had told herself she was feeling calmer about nearly losing Nicole but it was pretty obvious to her now that she wasn’t, not one bit. 

“I can’t lose you, Nicole…” Waverly’s voice was so quiet that Nicole barely heard her. She pulled her into a hug and held her tight even though her ribs protested and she knew she’d pay for it later, right now she didn’t care. 

“I’ll be careful, I promise baby!” Nicole didn’t like making promises she wasn’t sure she could keep but she wanted nothing more than to keep Waverly happy. Nicole needed to do this, she needed to calm the guilt that was heavy on her mind. She had to make sure the men responsible were brought to justice, for Nedley. This was important and if any of them were in danger of retribution because of Nicole killing that man then she was going to do everything she could to help put them away. 


	8. Chapter 8

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you all for your continued support on this fic! I've been looking forward to posting this chapter because Nicole gets back to work! Hope you enjoy!

By the time Monday rolled around and Nicole was able to start assisting in the investigation that Dolls had started, she was sure that Waverly was feeling better about the whole situation. Little did she know that Waverly had barely got an hours sleep the night before, she lay awake worrying about Nicole. She hid it well in the morning and kissed Nicole goodbye as she left with Amelia to take her to school before she needed to head to the station. 

Waverly began cleaning, trying to focus her nervous energy on anything other than thinking about Nicole getting shot at again. She knew she was on desk duty but that didn't stop a lunatic deciding to take a gun into the station or something happening to her on her way to or from work. After an hour of Wynonna biting her tongue, for once not being obvlivious, she finally said something when Waverly dropped a glass and instantly burst into tears. 

“What is going on with you, babygirl?” Wynonna helped clear up the mess in the kitchen before motioning for Waverly to join her at the table. She had plans to meet up with Doc in an hour and really had to get ready to leave but she needed to figure out what was going on in her little sisters head first. 

“Nothing, I think I’m just getting my period…” Waverly wiped the last of the tears from her face as she sat down across from her sister. Wynonna didn’t buy that excuse for a second, she knew Waverly and she thought she knew what was bothering her. 

“I hope this isn’t all because Haughtshit has gone back to work! I’m sure you enjoyed having her here while she was signed off but you know you can’t spend all your time together, right?” 

“That isn’t what this is about!” Waverly folded her arms across her chest, she hated when Wynonna spoke to her like a child. They were both adults now and just because Waverly had never left Purgatory didn’t mean she had done any less growing up in the time that Wynonna had been gallivanting round Europe. 

“Ok…cause I know you, Waverly, and I remember what it was like when you first started dating Champ! You barely left his side in the beginning and don’t get me wrong I like Nicole but you guys seem to be moving pretty fast for only being together a few months!” Wynonna leaned forward and laid an arm out on the table hoping that Waverly would relax and take it. She wasn’t trying to piss her off, she just wanted to make sure she wasn’t rushing into things before she was ready. 

“Wynonna! This isn’t anything like me and Champ ok?!” Waverly’s voice was more stern than she had intended, everything about her was on edge and she didn’t mean to take it out on her sister but she had been hiding everything so well in front of Nicole of course it was going to come out eventually. “I’m just…worried about her. She got shot and now she’s…” Waverly trailed off, realising she probably shouldn’t be sharing information about what Nicole was doing with her sister. 

“And now she’s what, Waverly? She’s a cop and it can be dangerous but this is Purgatory, its not like there’s a bank heist every week!” Wynonna looked down at her still outstretched hand and then back to Waverly who relented and finally placed her own hand in Wynonna’s. 

“She’s helping with some FBI investigation Wynonna…you can’t say anything because I’m probably not even supposed to know myself but yeah…she’s helping some guy Dolls with his work to try catch the men behind the bank robbery. He said they are dangerous…even warned Nicole to look out for anyone tailing her since she killed one of their guys.” 

“Well shit…” Wynonna instantly regretted the words when it made Waverly pull back her hand and stare out the window, tears forming in her eyes again. “You really love her don’t you?” 

“So much…it’s kinda scary! I’ve never felt like this…” Waverly managed to compose herself a little and looked back at her sister who was trying her best at a sympathetic facial expression. “I don’t know what I’d do if I lost her…I’ve already lost so many people in my life.” 

“Yeah well me and you both sister…why do you think I don’t let myself get too close to anyone?” Wynonna fake laughed and it took Waverly a little by surprise, she had long suspected that that’s why Wynonna never settled down with someone or even in one place for long but she had never said as much to Waverly before now. She was protecting herself from anymore heartbreak and Waverly wondered if she should have done the same thing but the mental image of Nicole smiling at her as she left for work that morning changed her mind in an instant. “She’s smart Waves and she has a kid, she’ll keep out of the real danger, I know it.” 

“Thank you, Wynonna!” Waverly got out of her seat and rounded the table to pull her sister into a hug, Wynonna settled into it for a moment before squirming and informing Waverly she needed to go and meet Doc. Waverly knew she wasn’t good with feelings so she let her go but not before thanking her again, it really had made Waverly feel better about the situation. Nicole would be smart and careful. She had promised. 

***

Nicole was welcomed back to the station with a round of applause and so much hollering that for the first time she truly felt a part of the team. She was still the newbie but now she was the newbie who took down a bank robber. Now she just needed to help catch the ones that got away. She sat with Dolls in the back rooms he had commandeered for his investigation and went through file after file on his laptop familiarising herself with all the details. 

She learned the men were part of Bobo Del Rey’s gang, an arms trafficker, drugs trafficker, suspected murderer and all round piece of shit. Dolls explained that he was a person of interest in an alarming number of murders but he was as smart as he was dangerous so there had never been enough evidence to make a conviction stick. When it came to jobs like the one they pulled at the bank, whenever there was evidence it never lead back to Bobo, only to his men and Dolls desperately wanted to find something to take him down for good. His superiors were starting to doubt his ability to do this job and he was not going to give them the satisfaction of pulling him off the case. 

Nicole also learned that this was the first time that not all the men made it out of the bank alive and so Dolls really did not know what Bobo might do if he found out who Nicole was and that she had been the one to take him down. He was known for being vengeful, anyone that crossed him whether they be part of his gang or not didn’t seem to last very long. Nicole tried to hide the fear that was creeping up on her, she didn’t want Dolls to think bringing her in on the investigation had been a mistake. 

“I assume you haven’t spotted anyone following you or your girlfriend?” Dolls asked hopefully, something in the back of his mind told him that Bobo was still hanging around the area but he really wanted it to be wrong. 

“Not as far as I could tell, surely he’d get the hell out of town after they pulled off their job though, no?” 

“Well we don’t know much about Bobo’s life before he became what he is today but I do know his family is from around these parts, on his Father’s side. Svane was his Father’s last name but he changed it after he died, took his Mother’s instead. He might still have somewhere close by where he can lay low til the heats off.” Dolls opened a new file on his laptop for Nicole to look at, it was all the suspected members of his gang. He went through them all with Nicole so she could memorize their faces, the last photo was of Bobo himself. Nicole thought he looked ridiculous, he was wearing a fur coat, the sides of his head shaved as well as a small slit in one of his eyebrows but the longer she looked at the photo the more uneasy she felt. There was something so cold about his eyes, she silently hoped she would never come face to face with the man. 

Dolls tasked Nicole with looking into property records hoping to find something that might connect to Bobo’s family still being in the area, she did as she was asked although she couldn’t wait to get out in the field. With that she was dismissed back to her desk where she alternated between filling out paper work for other officers and looking into property holdings. The other officers on duty informed her of the extra jobs that everyone had picked up to cover Nedley’s absence, luckily everyone’s load was now a little lighter with Nicole back at work and she was glad to help in any way she could to deal with a lack of Sherriff in the department. 

It was a little after lunch time when she heard a familiar voice in the hallway. Wynonna came through the door and waved at Nicole before asking if she had a minute to chat. 

“Something the matter, Wynonna?” Nicole pulled a chair towards her desk so Wynonna could join her.

“I just wanted to pop in and make sure you were intact…Waverly’s still a bit freaked y’know?” Wynonna stuck her feet up onto Nicole’s desk, the glare that she received made her quickly remove them and mouth ‘sorry’ while holding her hands up to Nicole. 

“She is?” Nicole hadn’t noticed, had she been too excited about her work with Dolls starting to even notice? Or had Waverly been purposefully hiding it? 

“Look, I’m not surprised you didn’t notice, Waverly is great at hiding her feelings if she thinks it might upset someone…and I know she’d never want to upset you! She’s just lost a lot of people in her life, we both have and I probably don’t have the right to even be talking about her like this since I always leave but I wouldn’t be doing my job as a big sister if I didn’t give you this talk!” Wynonna leaned forward and sighed, Waverly was probably going to kill her if she ever found out about this but it had been bugging her since she left Waverly earlier. “Don’t hurt her ok, on purpose or otherwise! Make her talk to you because she will always try and protect your feelings, she does it to me all the time and…you’re good for her…you’re a good person so yeah, don’t die cause I don’t think Waverly could handle losing you or your little girl…aaaaand that’s all I got!” Wynonna slapped her hands on her knees before she got up from the chair, she looked at Nicole and nodded once before turning on her heels and walking out. She heard the faintest, ‘I promise, Wynonna’ as she turned the corner and she hoped to god that Nicole wasn’t a nark. She would never live it down if Waverly found out about this. She needed to head to Shorty’s to meet Doc and get rid of the taste of sentimentality in her mouth, she figured whiskey would do the trick quite nicely. 

***

“Wynonna stopped by the station this afternoon…” Nicole wrapped her arms around Waverly’s middle as she stood at the stove making dinner. They’d decided it was time to spend a night at Nicole’s place after so many at Waverly’s and it meant that Nicole could talk about her interaction with Wynonna without fear of immediate reckoning from the eldest Earp sister. 

“Oh.” Waverly stiffened as she set down the wooden spoon in her hand and placed her arms over Nicole’s on her stomach. She hoped Wynonna hadn’t let slip how much of a mess she was after Nicole left that morning. “What did she want?” 

“She kind of gave me the talk!” Nicole kissed Waverly’s neck, hoping to ease some of the tension there. She wanted to mention what Wynonna said about her still being freaked out about Nicole getting hurt but she didn’t want to push. “Does that mean she approves of me?” Nicole laughed a little and the breath that hit Waverly’s neck made all the tiny hairs stand on end. 

“I think so?” Waverly began to relax into Nicole’s touch. “She _was_ a little worried about us moving too fast though!” 

“What about you? Do you think we’re moving too fast?” This wasn’t the first time they had talked about this but after Wynonna’s words today about Waverly hiding her feelings if she thought they might upset her she needed to ease her mind. “You know it wouldn’t hurt me if you did, I mean this is probably the quickest I’ve ever felt so at home with someone but if it’s too much you can tell me.” 

“No, Nicole!” Waverly spun around in Nicole’s arms so fast she nearly connected their foreheads in what would definitely have been an incredibly painful collision. Waverly placed both palms onto Nicole’s chest and stared into her eyes. “I love this, us, everything about it! I wouldn’t change a thing, well… maybe one thing…” Waverly eyes grew dark as she ran her hands up Nicole, past the collar of her uniform shirt and wrapped them around her neck. 

“You know, I’m feeling a lot better now…maybe Amelia could do with an early night?” Nicole captured Waverly’s lips in a heated kiss, she was still in a little pain but nothing an extra painkiller before bed couldn’t deal with. 

“If that’s so, I better hurry up and finish dinner!” Waverly pulled back from Nicole and placed one final kiss to the tip of her nose. “Go and help her pick a book now so she doesn’t spend half an hour deciding later!” 

“Yes, Ma’am!” Nicole saluted Waverly as she turned away, the sound of Waverly’s giggle as she continued cooking dispelled the final worries that Wynonna’s words had placed in her mind. 

***

Waverly awoke in a cold bed and as she pulled the covers up around herself she realised they came far too easily, Nicole wasn’t beside her. She opened her eyes and saw the faint glow of light coming from down the hall through the open bedroom door. Pulling one of Nicole’s shirts on she made her way quietly towards it and found Nicole, fast asleep on the kitchen table. Drooling ever so slightly over a bunch of papers and a giant ledger book. 

“Nicole?” Waverly whispered as she bent down so her lips were level with Nicole’s ear, she didn’t want to startle her awake but she wanted to get her back to bed. She wanted Nicole’s warmth beside her again, she found it difficult to sleep without it now on the rare occasions that they didn’t share a bed. “Come back to bed…” 

“Mmm?” Nicole’s eyes opened the tiniest crack before closing again and a gentle smile spread across her lips. “Couldn’t sleep…did some work…” 

“Well you’re sleeping now baby…” Waverly laughed as she lifted Nicole from the table, with very little help from the tired woman. Waverly wasn’t even sure that Nicole was actually awake and when she got her to her feet she padded off to the bedroom, breathing still deep and movements a little clumsy. Waverly started clearing up the mess on the table a little, knowing Amelia could wake up early and decide to start a new masterpiece all over the documents. She couldn’t help but notice what Nicole was reading before she fell asleep, there were pages upon pages of Purgatory property records. She read a few lines of owners before checking the years they were purchased, it didn’t make any sense. These were names Waverly knew, old Purgatory families but the years didn’t match up. It had been at least a hundred years since anyone going by those names had lived in this town. 

Waverly took over the seat that Nicole had been using and continued reading. She found a scrap of paper that Nicole had taken a couple notes on and picked up a pen. She wrote down all the names she knew were long gone from Purgatory and when she moved a collection of documents looking for more blank paper to write on, a page fell to the floor. It was titled, KNOWN ALIASES OF BOBO DEL REY, on this page she found every single one of the names she had already written down in her notes, only Bobo had used different spellings of their first or last names. Was the man they were investigating from Purgatory? There’s no way he could come up with all these fake identities, all of whom were once living in Purgatory, without a connection to this town. There was no way this was coincidence. Waverly continued through the ledger book, she jotted down approximate years for when she knew these people had died, these people who had somehow managed to buy property in Purgatory all within the last ten years. Where she could she also wrote down what was at these addresses, if they were empty, current businesses or residential. 

Her eyes were getting heavy and she looked at the clock on the wall, she couldn’t be sure when she had found Nicole asleep here but it was now nearly five a.m. She tidied up the papers and left her notes on top of the ledger book before climbing back into bed. 

***

“Waves?” Nicole voice pulled Waverly from her sleep, the bed was empty of Nicole again. Her voice had come from the doorway, she was in uniform already and Waverly wondered how long she had managed to sleep without Nicole beside her this time. “Waves, did you do all this?” Nicole was holding the notes she had made early this morning, in her hands with a look of wonder. Waverly wasn’t awake enough to answer verbally just yet and so she slowly nodded. Nicole made her way to the side of the bed and leaned over to kiss Waverly’s forehead. “You are amazing, did you know that?” 

“What?” Waverly was fully awake now, Nicole’s words combined with the completely sincere look on her face did it. “All I did was connect some dots…” Waverly knew she was smart, she had graduated top of her class in high school but being aware of how clever she was never got her anywhere with most of the people in her life. Champ hated it when she proved to be smarter than him, he told her she was showing off and her friends, well they just didn’t care if she was clever. Clever wasn’t fun to them. She’d thought about going to study after high school but she was already dating Champ by then and he made such a fuss every time she had brought it up she gave up on the idea.

“Baby, you connected dots that the FBI didn’t even realise were there! Or me…how’d you even know all these names and when they died?” Nicole had got on to the bed now, laying on top of the covers so she didn’t bring any cold air to her snuggled up Waverly. After realising what Waverly’s notes were she made some calls to the station, confirming that these people were in fact former Purgatory residents and had all died at least a hundred years ago. 

“My senior year history project, I was supposed to look into my family history…it ended up being about twenty pages longer than necessary and included half of Purgatory’s history as well!” Waverly blushed, she had got an A of course but her teacher couldn’t understand why she had gone to such lengths. Waverly just couldn’t stop herself once she started researching. “I’m pretty good at remembering dates!” 

“You are a genius, Waverly!” Nicole pressed her lips to her forehead again before jumping off the bed. “I’m calling Dolls, he’s gonna love this!” Waverly couldn’t help the massive grin that had formed, she never felt like being smart was a good thing but Nicole was so proud of her and that was definitely a good thing. 

Less than twenty minutes later Dolls was standing in Nicole’s kitchen, alternating between Waverly’s notes and the property ledger. He had been annoyed when he found out Purgatory still hadn’t updated their system to a digital one, that’s why he had passed off the work to Nicole, now he was glad he had. 

“How did we miss this?!” Dolls took a sip from the coffee Waverly had made, he couldn’t believe that this evidence had been right under his nose the whole time but no one had figured it out, no one until Waverly. 

“Well…he used slightly different spellings for some names or here..” Waverly leaned over Dolls and pointed at the page in front of him. “He used James instead of Jim Miller. When I started figuring it out I realised there was no way it was coincidence.” Dolls looked up at her and Waverly couldn’t quite make out his expression, Nicole said he was going to love this but Waverly wasn’t too sure so powered on through with her findings. “He’s got quite the portfolio…he even owns the local Laundromat!” Nicole smiled over at Waverly, even if Dolls wasn’t loving this she sure was. Dolls hadn’t wanted a set of local eyes on this case which Nicole thought was ridiculous but now he clearly had the keenest set of local eyes helping him. 

“Laundromat?” Dolls questioned before narrowing his eyes and looking back at the list Waverly had written, he scanned down each one and noticed that any of them that were businesses, they were all typically cashed based ones. Nicole was watching closely from over his shoulder. He snapped his fingers before slamming his hand down on the table which earned a ‘shhh’ from Amelia who was sitting watching cartoons in the connecting living room. He’d obviously worked something out but he was watching Nicole, waiting for the realisation to hit her as well. It was a test, he wanted to see if she’d figure it out. He was so focused on waiting for Nicole to figure out what he had, he didn’t notice Waverly reading over his shoulder as well.

“He’s cleaning his money here!” Waverly piped up and started clapping her hands in excitement. “Right?!” Dolls turned his head to her and nodded, a little disappointed that Nicole hadn’t worked it out before her civilian girlfriend. Clearly there was more to Waverly than met the eye but bringing in someone outside of law enforcement to help on the case was not going to happen, he did however start wondering what else her fresh set of eyes might bring to light. 

“I think so…” Dolls stood and started pulling everything on the table together.

“Why would he rob a bank in a town where he’s laundering money? Wouldn’t that kind of defeat the purpose? Stealing back money that he’s cleaned?” Waverly mused, almost to herself but then she realised she had said it out loud and Dolls was staring at her, like he hadn’t even had the thought himself. Nicole's smile only grew larger watching Waverly's mind work. 

 

“Yeah…we still need to figure that one out! Excellent work Waverly and I don’t think I have to tell you but if you breathe a word of this to anyone, I will arrest you!” Waverly’s eyes grew wide before she used her fingers to lock her lips and nodded. Nicole was smiling again, dimples galore and she mouthed the words ‘super genius’ to her from behind Dolls. Waverly blushed as she helped Dolls get everything together and out to his car. Nicole wanted to ride with him to the station so they could get to work immediately, Waverly understood and said she’d get Amelia to school. 

 

“Y’know, I don’t think I’ve ever been more attracted to you than I am now, sexy _and_ smart…” Nicole whispered into Waverly’s ear as she said goodbye at the door. She pulled back to admire the crimson that was spreading from Waverly’s chest up to her cheeks. “Wynonna and Doc offered their services as babysitters the other night, how about I take them up on that offer and me and you go out tonight?” 

“It’s a date!” Waverly pecked her cheek but Nicole had other ideas and pulled her into a deep kiss, full of promise for the night to come and it left Waverly a little breathless. When they separated, she had to use the doorframe to steady herself much to Nicole’s amusement. 

“Great, I’ll text Wynonna!” Nicole beamed as she practically bounced all the way to Dolls car.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Wynonna being a great big sis...I'm all about that so I'm glad I managed to get that scene into this fic because I love reading stuff where Nicole and Wynonna/Waverly and Wynonna have moments together so I hope you liked my take on it! Also without the curse hanging over her head, Waverly may never have got so into her online courses etc but that doesn't mean the Waverly in this universe isn't still ridiculously smart...she's just finding a different way to realise her intelligence is useful and surprise surprise Nicole finds it totally attractive! 
> 
> I wasn't thinking about putting up a post today but I just read @Tigerlo's latest fic and it just made me want to! If you haven't read any of their stuff you really should, they tend to be nice long reads but oh so worth your time!


	9. Chapter 9

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm so happy so many of you are still enjoying this story! Time for date night for Waverly and Nicole...

While this wasn’t their first official date, it was the first time that Nicole and Waverly had gone out in the evening without Amelia. Waverly said over and over that she didn’t mind not getting the whole traditional dating experience with Nicole and she wasn’t lying, she loved what they had and how they had got there. Nicole on the other hand did mind, she knew she was an excellent date and she had never had the chance to woo Waverly like she had imagined all those times passing her on their morning runs. This may not be their first date but Nicole was damn sure going to make it their best one yet. 

They got ready together in Waverly’s room, occasionally stealing kisses as they moved past each other. Waverly kept running her hands over Nicole’s waist whenever she could, she would never get over how amazing she looked in civilian clothes but tonight she had worn a dress and it took all of Waverly’s strength not to cancel their date, lock her door and spend the rest of the night in bed. Nicole excused herself to get Amelia settled before they left but when Waverly got downstairs she couldn’t find her anywhere. 

“Where’s Nicole?” Waverly walked into the living room after putting her coat on to find Doc, Wynonna and Amelia eating pizza, watching a movie. Wynonna could not have been less interested in the cartoon rabbit cop talking on screen if she tried but Amelia was transfixed, sitting happily on Doc’s lap. For a moment Waverly pictured Wynonna and Doc settling down, starting their own little family and she forgot her own question when Wynonna answered her with a shrug. A knock at the door quickly brought her back to reality and she went to answer it with a huff when Wynonna pretended she didn’t even hear it. 

Waverly’s smile when she opened the door nearly knocked Nicole over, she was standing with a single rose in her hand, outstretched to the beautiful woman in front of her. Waverly took the rose and brought it to her nose which earned a small laugh from Nicole. 

“Shall we?” Nicole crooked her arm for Waverly’s to find its place with her own and they headed off towards Nicole’s car after throwing goodbyes over their shoulders into the house. Wynonna smiled as she took a sip from her beer bottle, she really liked Nicole. 

Nicole had been the perfect date, she held open every door for Waverly, took her to the nicest restaurant that Purgatory had to offer and even suggested they head to Shorty’s afterwards for karaoke night. It had been Waverly’s idea to start it but so far she hadn’t made it to a single one and Nicole wanted her to enjoy something she had been so excited about. It took a little convincing but finally Waverly took to the makeshift stage and sang, Nicole knew she had a lovely voice but hearing Waverly sing something other than Amelia’s god awful driving songs took her breath away. Even if her song of choice, _Ironic by Alanis Morrisette,_ didn’t go down too well with most of the Shorty’s cliental when the screen popped up, as soon as they saw their favourite barmaid holding the microphone they cheered. 

They sat in the same booth that they had shared the day Nicole got back into town with Amelia, she had called ahead to Gus and asked her to make sure it was free. Gus spent the previous three hours ushering people away from it just in case they turned up earlier than Nicole estimated. She had also warned a slightly inebriated Champ to be on his best behaviour or else he really would be banned for life. He kept his distance but gave a pleasant wave in their direction when he passed to use the restroom. 

“I think this is hands down the best date I’ve ever been on, Nicole!” Waverly pressed herself into Nicole’s side as they watched another patron take to the stage, her hand running slowly up Nicole’s thigh and she thanked the heavens that her girlfriend had decided to forego tights tonight despite the cold weather outside. Nicole’s skin reacted beautifully to Waverly’s touch and she sighed into her ear before placing a lust laden kiss to Waverly’s slender neck. “Home?” 

“Home!” Nicole nodded fervently, fearing that had those words not come from Waverly at that moment she would have had her right there on the table in front of them. They quickly vacated the booth and started heading for the door but as the pair waved goodbye to Gus she beckoned Waverly over to the bar. “I’ll start the car, be quick!” Nicole widened her eyes to let Waverly know just how serious a request that was, Waverly could feel the need rising steadily within her and Nicole was not even trying to hide her own. It made Waverly’s mouth go dry and she promised to keep it short with a kiss. 

“What’s up, Gus?” Waverly forced a smile as she stood in front of her aunt at the bar, she had much better places to be right at that moment. 

“I just wanted to ask how you’re night went?” Gus was smiling, wider than usual and Waverly could tell there was something she wasn’t saying. Waverly tilted her head to the side in an attempt to coax whatever it was she wasn’t saying out of her. “Did she propose to you?” Gus reached out over the bar and grabbed at Waverly’s hand.

“What?! No, why would you even ask that?” Waverly figured out what Gus was looking for on her hands and lifted it up as if to say, ‘see, no ring’. 

“Oh.” Gus was disappointed. “It’s just when she called to make sure you guys had the same booth from that day you guys had dinner here and she said she wanted tonight to be special I just assumed…”

“You just assumed that Nicole asked me to marry her and I didn’t come barreling over here to tell you straight away?” Waverly laughed but she was happy to learn that if…or when? Nicole asked her to marry her, Gus would be more than on board. Waverly moved round behind the bar so she could hug her. “I love you but no she did not ask me to marry her!” 

“Well she better get a move on!” Gus sighed as she tightened her grip on Waverly, Waverly just rolled her eyes as she laughed at the comment. Waverly wasn’t going anywhere, with or without a proposal and truthfully it wasn’t something they had even talked about yet. They weren’t even living together, Waverly had thought about it but the right moment to ask hadn’t appeared. She made a promise to herself right there that she was going to find the right moment and soon. 

Waverly said goodnight to Gus and thanked her for keeping their booth free, she was going to have to thank Nicole later too but she had a better idea of how to do that. Her smile was unwavering as she walked out of the bar but she stopped dead in her tracks when she saw Nicole heading back towards the bar, skin paler than she’d ever seen it. 

“We need to get home, now!” 

***

Nicole sat in the slowly warming car, tapping impatiently on the steering wheel. The heat between her legs reaching a fever pitch as she thought of everything she wanted to do to Waverly the second she got her back home. Someone rapped on her window and she turned hoping to see Waverly but instead she was met with the cold eyes she had had the displeasure of committing to her memory. Bobo. 

She reached to her side to grab her firearm but came up empty. Of course she didn’t have it, why would she take it on her date? She slowly rolled down her window and was met with the sickly smell of smoke mixed with an overpowering cologne. Bobo flicked his cigarette across the street and pulled back his lips into what could have been interpreted as a smile but in reality it was more like a dog baring its teeth. Dolls had been correct in his assumption that Bobo was still in town, Waverly’s findings had added to those thoughts but no one had actually seen him around yet. Well, until now. Dolls had obviously been wrong in his assumption that Bobo probably didn’t know who Nicole was though, she wasn’t in her cruiser or uniform. Bobo knew who she was, had he been following them tonight? Did that also mean he knew she was the one to take down his man. She had been so focused on showing Waverly what a real date with her was like that she hadn’t even bothered to check if anyone had been following them. 

“Officer Haught, such a pleasure to finally meet you!” Bobo stretched out his hand to Nicole who never broke eye contact as she denied his request. He pulled it back and pulled out another cigarette from his pocket before lighting it with a match. “I have a proposition for you…” He spoke in between drags. When Nicole didn’t answer, he continued. “I like this town…and well seeing as you seem to be the only competent deputy in Purgatory I figured you’d be smart enough to hear me out…leave me be and I’ll let bygones be bygones.” He cocked an eyebrow at Nicole and she swallowed hard, he definitely knew it was her. “Convince that Special Agent Dolls that I’ve left town and I could even be amenable to some sort of…compensation.” 

“Did you just try to bribe an officer of the law?” Nicole could feel her throat desperate to cough as the smoke billowed in through her open window but she would be damned if she showed the slightest weakness in front of this man. Bobo feigned innocence at such an accusation and leaned ever so slightly closer to Nicole’s scowling face. 

“I thought you would be smarter than this…” Bobo stuck his fingers into his mouth to whistle and a car parked down the street sped forwards and stopped right beside him. He looked off in the distance for a moment, as if something had caught his attention before quickly looking back down at Nicole. “That girl of yours, what a beautiful home she has!”

“Wha..”

“See you around, Haught!” Bobo cut her off before she could finish her questioning on how the hell he knew where Waverly lived. “Oh, and how’s your daughter? Amelia is it?” The wicked grin that covered his face pulled the breath from Nicole’s lungs as he stepped into the car and it drove away. Nicole’s heart thudded and she was about to put her foot down on the accelerator and speed away, she needed to check on Amelia but she couldn’t just leave Waverly here. She left the car running and sprinted back towards Shorty’s. Waverly was just leaving when Nicole got to the entrance. 

“We need to get home, now!”

 

After Nicole explained what had happened with Bobo, what he had said about Waverly’s home, about Amelia, Waverly immediately called Wynonna. It went straight to voicemail, she tried again. And again, so many times as they drove in silence, well over the speed limit to Waverly’s place. This had been Nicole’s idea to go out and leave Amelia with her sister but she would never forgive herself if something had happened to Amelia because Nicole had wanted to take her out. After ten minutes of continuous voicemail she cursed herself for not having Doc’s number. There was a shotgun in the house, Waverly kept one just in case but she wasn’t sure if Wynonna even knew where it was or how to use it. She hadn’t touched a gun since the incident with their father. If Bobo’s men had shown up at the house, Wynonna and Doc would likely be hurt too…Waverly’s breathing had started to become erratic, she thought she might be having a panic attack and they were still at least five minutes away from her house. Nicole could feel Waverly’s tension and it only added to her own, she pushed the accelerator down as she grabbed her hand and had them back at the house in less than two minutes. 

They left the car swiftly and ran into the house. Doc and Wynonna were lounging on the couch watching what looked like some National Geographic documentary. 

“Where’s Amelia?!” Nicole yelled as she came upon them, she hadn’t meant to be so abrupt but the silence they had driven in had only added to her fears. Wynonna quickly pointed upstairs, a confused look on her face as Nicole sprinted up them, easily taking them two at a time. 

“Waves, what’s going on?” Wynonna stood up from her place on the couch and moved over to her sister who was scowling at her, what had she done wrong now? 

“How about next time you babysit, have your **fucking** phone on!?” Waverly shot her a fierce glare and she took off up the stairs behind Nicole, she wasn’t angry at Wynonna…well maybe a little bit but the relief that had washed over her when she realised she wasn’t hurt in anyway brought every drop of adrenaline she had coursing through her on the drive, right to the surface. 

“Shit…sorry babygirl!” Wynonna called upstairs after her sister…why couldn’t she do anything right? She kicked the side of the couch before throwing herself back down beside Doc who had been so engrossed in the television he had barely acknowledged that anyone else was home. 

From the top of the stairs Waverly could see Nicole slumped down on the floor, in the doorway to Amelia’s room. Her chest was still heaving but her breathing seemed a little more even as her eye’s stayed focused where Waverly knew the bed was, she neared her hoping that the relatively calm demeanour meant that Amelia was fast asleep and perfectly safe. She peered around the door and relief washed over her as she saw the little body, breathing steadily with that damned bunny paw in her mouth. She squatted down in front of Nicole, using her arms as purchase and pressed their foreheads together. Nicole closed her eyes and Waverly followed suit. 

“Nicole, she’s safe, let’s go to bed!” Waverly’s plans of devouring Nicole tonight would be put on hold, the only thing she wanted to do now was hold her and make sure she knew everything was alright, Amelia was safe. 

“I’ll be there in a minute…” Nicole sighed and pushed herself up off the floor, she made her way to Amelia’s bed and crawled in beside her. Slowly running her hands down her cheek and planting a couple sweet kisses to the side of her head. She had absolutely no idea what she would have done if she had come back here and found her gone or worse…

Waverly got ready for bed and under the covers, she had a feeling Nicole may not be joining her but she didn’t mind. If that’s where Nicole needed to be then that’s where she would stay tonight. She was just starting to drift off when she felt familiar arms wrapping around her, Waverly turned over so she was facing Nicole. She felt calmer but her muscles were still tight as Waverly nuzzled into her neck. 

“Nicole…maybe we should get away for a while?” Waverly had been thinking about this as an option the whole way back to the house but she hadn’t wanted to say anything until they knew Amelia was safe. 

“No…me and Dolls need to stop him! I can’t just run away the second he threatens my family, that would mean he’s won!” Nicole pulled Waverly tighter, she appreciated the thoughtfulness of her idea but leaving would only give Bobo the advantage. He was right, there weren’t many competent cops in Purgatory and one of them was currently still in a coma. _Nedley._ Nicole hadn’t thought about him all evening. Maybe they needed to station an officer outside his room in case Bobo decided to finish the job his man had started. 

“But Amelia…” Waverly started but Nicole pressed a finger to her lips, whatever thought was about to come out she didn’t need to hear it tonight or else she may take the cowards way out and walk away. 

“We’ll keep her safe, if that means taking her out of school and keeping her with me at the station then that’s what I’ll do…I’m not giving up, I can’t!” This was why Nicole became a cop, she wanted to make the world a safer place and taking Bobo down would help with that. She couldn’t do that from a distance, she was exactly where she needed to be. Waverly nodded into Nicole chest. She was braver, braver than Waverly ever realised. “What did Gus want tonight?” Nicole figured changing the subject was her best call, her conviction while steady enough could easily be swayed by the woman in her arms but she didn’t want that. She wanted to be brave. 

“She asked me if you proposed tonight…” Waverly was laughing and it felt good after all that stress. 

“Really?” Nicole let Waverly’s laugh infect her and she joined in. 

“Yeah…now _that_ would be moving pretty fast!” Waverly sighed recounting their conversation the previous night before remembering the promise she had made to herself earlier. 

“Would you have said yes?” Nicole said before she could stop herself and her now relaxed form tightened up again. “I mean…” 

“I don’t know…probably?” Waverly smiled and Nicole could feel it against her neck, she pulled Waverly’s chin up with a finger underneath and kissed her. Waverly let it linger for a moment before pulling back. “I was going to ask you something first though.” 

“Hmm?” Nicole beamed, _first._

“Would you want to move in with me? Here? There’s just so much more space even with Doc and Wynonna here right now and it’s ok if you don’t want to but…” Waverly was rambling and Nicole couldn’t help the usual motion of kissing her to settle the nerves. 

“Yes!” Nicole giggled when their lips parted. “Absolutely but…” 

“But?” Waverly suddenly felt silly, maybe it was too soon.

“Shae’s coming to visit Amelia in a couple weeks, she knows about you thanks to Amelia’s big mouth…” Nicole joked, she would have told Shae about Waverly eventually but Amelia had just beaten her to the punch. Waverly laughed, she knew Amelia would be the one to tell her mom about her. It wasn’t something she was necessarily looking forward to, meeting the woman that had Nicole’s heart before she did but she knew it had to come at some point and she was glad that Amelia would get to spend some time with her before Christmas. The only thing that worried Nicole was keeping Shae in the dark about Bobo, she couldn’t lose Amelia now. If Shae thought there was any danger to their daughter she wouldn’t hesitate to take her away from here and far away from Nicole. Nicole hadn’t told Shae about being shot on the job, she knows she should have but the fear of losing Amelia was crippling, she felt happier with her here. Not that Waverly wasn’t amazing, _everything_ but Amelia had been the only thing that kept her going for such a long time, when her whole life with Shae came tumbling down, she still had Amelia. She couldn’t lose her again, not when she just got her back. She needed to speak to Dolls in the morning, see if there was any protection he could offer. “Could we hold off until after she comes? She’ll just be in town for a couple days and I don’t want to bring any of my potential drama into our new home.” 

“I think I can wait a couple weeks!” Waverly sighed and settled back into the crook of Nicole’s neck. Nicole’s chin rested perfectly on top of her head as she held her ever closer. It never failed to amaze her how right it felt to be with Waverly, even taking these steps towards a future together after just a few short months. It wasn’t long before they both slipped into sleep, the fear they both felt earlier moving slowly to the back of their minds. Replaced with possibilities for the future.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I was so close to leaving this chapter on a cliffhanger but I just couldn't do that to you all! As I've said this was going to be getting a little more intense but still plenty lovely moments between this little family to pull you through it...I hope! Thanks for reading! 
> 
> *Sidenote* I'm almost finished writing this whole thing, will probably finish in the next week but only about half of what I've written so far has been posted so there is still plenty to come. I may decide to write little one-shots/scenes after I've finished with the original story I have planned if that's something people would like to see! I really like this lil AU I've created and maybe not totally ready to give it up!


	10. Chapter 10

“Mommy! Waverly!” Amelia was shouting on a loop, jumping on top of the bed where two very content sleepers had been wrapped up until the interruption. Waverly yelped when Amelia landed on her knees and one of them made contact with Waverly’s thigh. “Ooops.” Amelia froze for approximately two seconds before Waverly’s conviction broke and all thoughts of telling her off flew out the window. She smiled at Amelia who grinned back and began bouncing on her knees. Nicole studied this exchange and knew she was going to have to toughen Waverly up once they were living together, Amelia was going to get away with murder while she was out otherwise, although she probably already did. 

“Sweetie, you’ve got to be more careful!” Nicole sat up and reached for her daughter, pulling her into a good morning hug. “How about you come to work with me today, huh?” Nicole had made her decision very quickly this morning, as soon as she saw Amelia in fact. She wouldn’t go to school until Dolls could guarantee her safety, she knew this was a big request seeing as she had been the one to basically force herself onto this case but she had no doubt that he would do everything he could to protect her. 

“No school?” Amelia pouted and Waverly’s smile grew, Amelia was smart and Waverly never wanted her to feel like that was a bad thing, the way she had felt for so long. Nicole would never make Amelia doubt that being smart was a fantastic thing. It made Waverly’s heart flutter and she couldn’t stop herself from joining the hugging pair beside her on the bed, placing a kiss quickly to Amelia’s cheek and then to Nicole’s. Despite the way they had fallen asleep last night, Waverly knew that Nicole would still be going over what Bobo had said and she had a feeling that Nicole would follow through with her idea to take her out of school this morning. 

“No school, sorry girl! Mommy has lots of work and I’m going to need your help, ok?” That seemed to satisfy her daughter and she pulled away from the hug asking about breakfast, Nicole could have stayed there just the three of them for a little while longer but she promised to be downstairs soon. Amelia leapt off the bed and skipped downstairs. Nicole put her head in her hands and sighed heavily, she couldn’t shake the feeling of dread that Bobo’s words were not just an empty threat. Waverly wrapped her arms around Nicole and kissed the side of her head before whispering that everything was going to be ok. Nicole remained silent but nodded and pulled Waverly into her as she lay back down on the bed for a few moments. 

***

After speaking with Dolls about Bobo’s threat, Amelia only ended up missing that one day of school. Dolls called in some back up and Amelia had someone looking out for her all day without her even knowing about it, it helped a little with the worry but Nicole knew there was only one way she would feel normal again. Nicole threw herself into the case even more than she had been already, Bobo’s threat to Amelia had made it imperative that she catch him. She was back on active duty and glad to be able to join Dolls in the field when needed but she still had her own job to do. Which seemed to be getting more difficult by the day thanks to Bobo’s gang members causing havoc around town. They were getting in fights outside Shorty’s, intimidating residents and taking up far too much police time. Nicole wondered if that was the plan, flood them with other work to do so they had no time to pay attention to what he was up to. There was little the police could do after they arrested the perpetrators, Bobo would come in, sort their bail and they would probably be back at it again the next day. 

Their investigation into his potential money laundering scheme in town was progressing nicely but there was still no evidence that what was going on connected to Bobo in any way. Dolls seemed not to care about making a single arrest until he could guarantee that Bobo would be charged and he had taken to working his frustrations out on a punching bag that he set up in the back offices and on a couple occasions Nicole had joined in.

This wasn’t what she thought it would be like investigation an international criminal, she thought it was going to be fast paced and interviewing suspects and actually feeling like she was making a difference. Instead they were faced with endless bureaucracy and waiting around for Bobo to simply make a mistake. Dolls spent most days trying to come up with a theory as to why Bobo had opted to remain in Purgatory, other than the obvious lack of serious police presence in town. Nicole figured it was because he really had his bases covered here, they couldn’t connect him to anything and on the odd occasional that she would see him around town his smug smile only seemed to reiterate that. 

He and most of his men had taken up residence in a run down trailer park near the edge of Purgatory, known for housing some of the less than savoury townsfolk although Bobo had bought himself quite the trailer. It was far better maintained than any of the crapshacks that littered the area, what Dolls and Nicole wouldn’t give to get a warrant to search it. They did manage the rare search of some of the others after some arrests were made on his men but clearly being lower in the organisation meant nothing of any value to their investigation in their possession. 

After a somewhat successful raid on a few trailers, finding a decent size supply of cocaine and glaring evidence that they were dealing, they had arrested six of his men, confiscated the drugs and marched them out of the trailer park. Nicole could feel Bobo’s eyes on the back of her head and she forced herself not to squirm as she pushed a man who liked to go by, Whiskey Jim, into the back of her cruiser. For the first time her and Dolls had to call back up and the other officers seemed particularly uneasy lingering around the trailer park for a second longer than necessary. Nicole was the last one to leave the scene, tipping her hat at Bobo as she left. He mouthed something towards her and she couldn’t be sure what it was but it looked a whole lot like ‘bitch’. She rolled her eyes as she started the car, she had been called a lot worse than that in her time so she counted it as a small victory, getting under his skin.

Less than twenty-four hours later, every single one of them had made bail. They had their court dates but that didn’t stop the sour taste in Nicole’s mouth when she watched Bobo walking out with them past her desk in the bullpen. They would no doubt be back supplying to citizens by the end of the day.

“Haught!” Dolls voice came from across the front desk and he crooked a finger, beckoning her to follow him. They walked in silence to the back office before he turned to face her, arms clasped behind his back. “Do you have work out clothes with you today?” 

“Yes, every day.” It was a habit, even if she didn’t plan on working out, having her work out gear with her at all times meant that she could always hit the gym in the station if she fancied. 

“Good, we are going to spar.” Dolls nodded before turning around, going into his office and grabbing a pile of foam boards that slotted together. He looked up at Nicole still standing watching him. “Go change, I meant now!” Nicole nodded and walked towards the locker room. 

After she was changed, she swung into the bullpen to let everyone know where she would be. A series of grunts in acknowledgement and she was back with Dolls, now in a pair of basketball shorts and black vest top, strapping up his wrists. After he finished he threw her a balled up set of hand straps over to her. She struggled a little getting the right tightness, it had been a long time since she had done this. 

“Not that I’m not happy to blow off my paperwork for a while but why are we doing this?” Nicole asked as she started stretching herself out, Dolls doing the same. He looked agitated, more than usual and she started picturing his sessions with the punching bag, she was definitely hoping that he was not going to hit her with the same force. 

“Look…” Dolls finished up his stretching and started bouncing from his right foot to his left. “This isn’t exactly going how I had hoped, every time I fill my office in with my…our progress here, I get the same response. They don’t care what information we have until it’s going to bring him down.” Dolls sighed and started shadow boxing the air in front of him. “I need to blow off some steam, figured you would too after watching them walk out of here.” 

“Yeah, that did not feel good.” Nicole jumped a few times on the spot, rolling out her shoulders. She was sure that this was going to make her feel a little better and she allowed a small smile to grow on her face as she got herself onto the mat.

It might have been a while since she had sparred with anyone but she figured it was like riding a bike, a few good punches later and she was sure of it. After a short while she suggested they go over some throws and take-downs, she’s never had a partner like Dolls before and she wanted to test her own ability as well as seeing what he was capable of. She managed to get him on the mat a couple times before he got her flat on her back, wind pushed straight out her lungs. 

“Fuck…” Nicole brought her hand up to her ribs, there hadn’t been an ounce of pain there for a week but this had probably not been her wisest idea. Waverly was going to kill her if she found out she’d done this to herself. After a couple deep breathes the pain subsided and relief washed over her. 

“Shit, Haught, you alright?” Dolls bent down beside her. “I should have remembered…” He pulled Nicole up into a seated position before standing and putting his hand out to help her up. She took it and hauled herself off the floor waving off his concern. 

“I’m good, I’m good! Should probably call it a day though.” Nicole laughed sheepishly, it had been fun spending some time with Dolls not talking about work and she didn’t want it to end but the look of concern on Dolls face probably meant he wouldn’t have let her continue even if she had suggested it. “We’re going to get him y’know?” Nicole grabbed the towel she had brought in with her and wiped herself down. 

“Yeah… _when_ is my only concern. We can’t have him and his men tear this town apart in the mean time!” Dolls picked up a bottle of water and downed half of it in one go, he hadn’t seemed overexerted but maybe he just hid it well. Nicole was a little taken aback by this, she hadn’t figured Dolls cared about Purgatory all that much, he clearly didn’t have the one track mind that Nicole thought he did. 

“He’s never stayed anywhere this long before right? As far as you’re aware?” Nicole wrapped the towel across her neck, reaching for her own bottle of water. Dolls nodded in reply. “Right so, he’s going to mess up. He has to and we will be right there when he does!” Nicole held out her still wrapped hand and Dolls shook it. 

“I hope you’re right!” Dolls tried hard to repress the sigh in his chest, he really could not have asked for a better partner in this investigation. Nicole was focused, despite the fact she had a life outside the job, something he himself did not and she was smart. Maybe not as smart as her girlfriend, Dolls had thought about that morning in Nicole’s home a lot since it happened, but she was smarter than the rest of the jokers in the station, maybe even put together, and she had the perseverance to follow this through even when Bobo had threatened her family. She was brazen as hell and Dolls honestly didn’t think he could do this without her now. 

***

Waverly and Nicole had hoped for a nice quiet afternoon one day while out in town on the rare occurrence that they both had some free time while Amelia was at school. Nicole actually able to relax now she knew that Amelia had protection. They had popped into the diner to grab a bite to eat before Nicole needed to head to work and Waverly instantly recognised a couple of Bobo’s guys sitting on the stools at the counter. Instead of ruining their pleasant afternoon together they both decided to pretend they just hadn’t seen them. They seemed to just be getting something to eat, what was the harm in acting like they simply didn’t exist for a while? 

The waitress showed them to a booth and after Waverly sat down and scooted into the middle of the bench seat, Nicole decided to sit on the same side as her and draped her arm over Waverly’s shoulder as she perused the menu in front of her. Nicole loved watching Waverly read even if it was just a simple menu that she would inevitably order the same thing off of that she always did. She loved the faces she made as she thought about maybe, just once changing her order before ultimately deciding against it. Nicole took a loose few strands of Waverly’s hair and tucked it behind her ear to which Waverly turned to her and smiled, crinkling her nose and her eyes before looking back down at the menu still with the smile on her face. When Waverly had finally decided that she would indeed get her favourite Nicole waved the waitress over and they placed their order. 

Waverly leaned into Nicole a little more as they chatted, waiting for their food to arrive. She never thought that she would find it so easy to be seen around town with Nicole like this, so obviously and unashamedly a couple. She had felt like the town already talked about her enough with her family history that she would feel self-conscious about them having even more to gossip about. The courage she got just from being in close proximity to Nicole made all of those worries fade away the first day they had walked down the crowded main street holding hands. Waverly only took herself out from underneath Nicole’s arm when their food arrived and that was only so Nicole could actually eat her food easily, she knew that Nicole would have suffered through the awkward eating with one hand if she hadn’t pulled herself away. 

When they had finished eating Nicole got up to pay as Waverly ducked into the restroom quickly, when she returned she saw Nicole squaring off to both of the men she had recognised when they had arrived. Nicole’s stance was strong and imposing, even from Waverly’s position standing behind her she could tell, her hand hovering over her holster. Waverly was sure whatever face Nicole was holding at that moment was begging those men for a reason to use her weapon. Nicole wasn’t typically an angry person but Waverly could see it in her eyes whenever she spoke about Bobo and his men, the frustration that they were still in their town causing trouble.

While Waverly had been in the bathroom, Nicole had chatted happily with their waitress as she paid for their meal. Another customer at the far side of the diner called for the waitress’s attention, Carol, and she sauntered over after giving Nicole her change. This being Purgatory and no one really having an actual sense of what should and shouldn’t be done, Carol had left the register open. Nicole only realised when the man who had been sitting with his back half towards her reached over and pulled a stack of bills out of the drawer. Clearly the master criminal had not noticed she was still standing there or he did and definitely did not notice the Purgatory Sheriff’s department uniform that she was currently sporting. 

Nicole grabbed the mans arm as it was retreating from the register and clicked her tongue until he turned to face her, beaming smile as she nodded down to her uniform. He simply laughed and tried to pry his hand out of hers but Nicole was strong and this man looked like he’d been drinking every day for the last twenty years of his life so it wasn’t as easy as he thought to get out of her grip. He grimaced and let go of the cash allowing it to fall partially on the countertop and the ground behind it before she let go of his arm and pushed his stool so he was facing her, eyes narrowing as she took a step back to accommodate his legs coming round in front of her. 

“Now you’re going to pay your bill and leave before we have anymore trouble here sir.” Nicole kept her voice even and calm despite the fact she wanted to slam cuffs on this guy and march him out, she didn’t think that would go over very well with the other man sat directly behind him scowling at her and she didn’t have any back up…or was even on duty. She noticed his hand move slightly as if he was about to reach for something, she did a remarkably quick scan of the countertop for anything sharper than a butter knife and then his person before she noticed a suspicious bulge towards his sock which she absolutely knew would be a weapon of some sort. Small gun or big knife, she wasn’t sure but she was not about to find out and so her own hand went to her holster. Just hovering over it for now but she knew what was written on her face was clear as day.

“Are you threatening me, bitch?” He stood from his stool and the other man followed suit. Nicole took a small step back, not enough to seem like his movement had done anything to her resolve and she kept her eye contact solid to make sure he knew that. By now the whole diner was watching the situation unfold, Carol standing nervously at the other end of the counter realising what had happened as she saw the register hanging open. 

“Threatening you, sir? No, I’m _warning_ you!” Nicole flicked the thumb break on her holster as she continued to stare both men down, not making anymore moves for her weapon but letting them know she meant business. The man in front’s eyes narrowed as he reached into his breast pocket, slammed a ten down on the counter and walked out of the diner followed closely behind by his friend muttering something about ‘fuckin’ pigs’. Nicole re-secured her weapon and her shoulders relaxed. As she scanned the diner, making sure no customers were particularly worked up over what had just occurred, her eyes landed on Waverly, staring at her with the most peculiar look on her face. 

“Holy crap, that was _hot_ !” Waverly whispered after Nicole had made her way over and positioned her hands on Waverly’s waist. Nicole blushed as she placed the look Waverly had been giving her, she was thoroughly turned on. “I’ve never seen you…be a cop like that before!” Waverly ran her hands up Nicole’s arms, squeezing a little as she reached her biceps and took her bottom lip between her teeth. Nicole chuckled as she rolled her eyes, maybe Waverly wouldn’t have been so scared of her doing her job before if she knew just how good she actually was at it. Nicole dramatically looked around the diner reminding Waverly that they were in public and she was in uniform but the way that Waverly was looking at her she really didn’t seem to care. 

Nicole’s adrenaline was still pumping from the encounter and she dared a glance at the clock on the wall behind the counter, she still had an hour before she needed to be in work, an hour and a half if she managed to come up with an excuse better than needing to take Waverly back to her place right that second and consuming her. She took Waverly’s hand and they dashed to her car without a word, Waverly completely tuned in to what was about to happen. Nicole had plenty time to think of an excuse. 

Later that night as she sat at her desk, mind running over and over how Waverly had begged her to keep her uniform on as Nicole satisfied her, a very run down looking Chrissy Nedley walked into the station and she immediately snapped back into the reality that they were currently living. Chrissy gave her what Nicole felt was her best attempt at a smile, she didn’t look like she was sleeping very well or at all and Nicole followed when she walked into her father’s office. Chrissy was sitting on the small couch when Nicole entered, she wanted to sit next to her and offer some comfort or support but they didn’t really know each other that well. Instead she opted for sitting the seat across from her, pulling it just a little closer to the couch. 

“How is he?” Nicole asked, not that she didn’t really know already. Waverly had been speaking to Chrissy almost every day to see how he was doing and to check up on her friend. Clearly Chrissy and Waverly had not seen each other in person for a few days or Waverly would have definitely mentioned how down she looked. 

“Just the same…” Chrissy sighed as she placed her head in her hands, little sobs starting and Nicole moved her chair closer to put a hand on her shoulder. They stayed like that for a while, Nicole rubbing small circles with her thumb as Chrissy let herself cry. “Thank you, Officer Haught. You don’t need to stay with me…” She looked up from her hands and Nicole knew Chrissy was just being nice, she needed someone right now and Nicole wasn’t about to leave her alone. 

“Please, call me Nicole. I know this is hard and I know probably everyone in town in telling you the same thing but your father is a strong man…he’s going to pull through this!” Nicole wasn’t sure who she was trying to convince more, herself or Chrissy but it seemed to help Chrissy more than it helped her in that moment. A small smile appeared on Chrissy face and she nodded at Nicole’s words. 

“I hope you all don’t mind me coming in here every now and again, it makes me feel better.” Chrissy looked around the room and all of Nedley’s personal touches to his office, photos of him and Chrissy on vacations, fishing trips with his friends and a framed newspaper cutting from when he was appointed as Sherriff. “I used to come here after my mom died and I didn’t want to be at school…he let me eat as much chocolate from the vending machines as I wanted and fall asleep on his couch.” 

“Of course not, come anytime you want!” Nicole smiled and stood up from the chair, she felt Chrissy was ready to be left alone again but she told her to just call through if she needed anything at all. 

“Waverly has good taste, you’re a really good person, Nicole.” Chrissy said with a smile as Nicole started to walk back to her desk, she turned just before leaving the office and nodded her appreciation to Chrissy. She hoped the blush that had formed was not totally obvious on her face.


	11. Chapter 11

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> *Content warning - brief use of homophobic language and inferred violence*

After nearly a week since she had spoken to Chrissy at the station, Nicole finally swallowed down enough of her guilt to visit Nedley in the hospital. She asked how he was progressing but his status was much the same as when she had spoken to Chrissy the previous week. She sat with him for a while, apologising over and over, the bullets were meant for her and now he might never wake up. She promised that she was going to do everything in her power to bring Bobo down.

Nedley had been more than she could have hoped for in a Sheriff. He looked out for her when she came to town, made sure she was settling in alright and it had been him that personally recruited her. He was impressed with her from the moment they met, he had watched her taking part in a training exercise and saw real potential. It surprised him when she had accepted his job offer, then Nicole had explained her situation with Shae and Amelia living not too far away. He told her whenever she needed a couple days off to visit, he would accommodate, Nicole showed him a picture of Amelia then and it was the one and only time Nicole had seen him sport a genuine smile. 

When Nicole had pulled up at Waverly’s later that day, after picking Amelia up from school, she could hear shouting coming from inside the house. She made a show of closing the front door a little louder than normal in the hopes that the noise would pause whatever argument was going down between Waverly and her sister. 

“It was fine Waverly, I had it under control!” Wynonna huffed as she opened what was likely not her first beer of the day, going by the sway as she took a seat at the table. She clocked Nicole and nodded her head once as a greeting. Waverly seemed unaware of Nicole’s presence as she moved around the kitchen which was only confirmed by her following word choice. 

“Bullshit, Wynonna!” Waverly slapped her hand on the counter before she heard a tiny gasp coming from behind her. She spun around to see Amelia with her hand over her mouth. 

“That’s a bad word!” She pointed at Waverly who scrunched up her face and gave a silent apology to Nicole. 

“You’re right, sweetie. Why don’t you go draw or watch some TV…” Nicole nudged her daughter in the direction of the living room. Amelia did as she was asked and soon the unmistakable voices of Spongebob and Patrick were coming from the television. “Someone want to fill me in?” Nicole took a seat across from Wynonna and Waverly came and sat on her lap. She apologised again for cursing in front of Amelia but Nicole brushed it off, she knew she never would have if she had known Amelia was within earshot. 

“Wynonna was flirting with one of Bobo’s goons today at Shorty’s…” Waverly shot her sister a look that could kill and Wynonna just rolled her eyes. Bobo and his men had quickly earned a reputation around town and most people knew who they were now, Waverly was pissed that her sister had even talked to him let alone started flirting with him. 

“What about Doc?” Nicole asked and Waverly shook her head at Nicole deciding that that was the most important thing to take away from what she had just said. 

“We’re not exclusive!” Wynonna defended herself and took a long sip of her beer, she knew Waverly wasn’t impressed with her antics but it was her life and it worked for her, what she and Doc had. She wasn’t the settling down type and Doc accepted that. 

“He tried to force her to leave with him…” Waverly furrowed her brow as she looked down at Nicole, who gritted her teeth. There was nothing she hated more than men who couldn’t take no for an answer. “Wynonna, what if Pete hadn’t of been there to get him off you? These guys are criminals, he could have hurt you!” 

“Well technically I’m a criminal too but you’re right…I’m sorry, Waves.” Wynonna reached other the table for Waverly’s hand and gave it a gentle squeeze before releasing it. She knew her sister worried about her too much but that didn’t mean she didn’t appreciate it. No one else really cared enough to worry. “I didn’t realise who he was until I saw his tattoo!” All of Bobo’s men had the same tattoo on the inside of their wrist, something Dolls and Nicole only recently discovered after they started filling up the holding cells at the station. Nicole had shared the information with Waverly to help keep her safe, who had obviously told Wynonna to do the same. 

“I’m sorry for yelling…I was just worried!” Waverly sighed and intertwined her fingers with Nicole’s under the table. 

“It’s alright, now if you’ll excuse me I’m going to watch Spongebob…make sure Amelia hasn’t picked up your potty mouth.” Wynonna pushed herself away from the table with a wink to Waverly and joined Amelia in the living room. Waverly sat in silence on Nicole’s lap, playing with Nicole’s fingers. It was nervous habit, Nicole had quickly learned and she always let her do it when she needed to. Waverly let out a small sigh as Nicole pressed her lips to the side of Waverly’s neck. 

Shae would be in town the next evening and Waverly had no idea how much time alone they would get once she was here. She let go of Nicole’s hand and got up to quickly change the position she was in. She sat down again but this time facing Nicole, draping her hands around the back of Nicole’s neck while listening out carefully for anyone who might interrupt them. 

Nicole ran her hands up Waverly’s thighs as she leaned up to kiss her, Waverly deepened the kiss almost instantly. She needed Nicole and from the way Nicole’s hands were slowly making their way up Waverly’s back under her shirt she hoped that she needed Waverly too. 

“I’m gonna miss this, being close to you…” Waverly gasped as Nicole’s mouth moved to her neck. “I don’t know how I’m supposed to survive not sleeping next to you for the next few nights…” She was finding it hard to concentrate with soft fingers and even softer lips dancing over her skin. 

“I’m sorry baby…if it makes it any better, I don’t think I’m going to be able to sleep at all.” Nicole hated that she had to do this but it wouldn’t be fair to Shae, throwing her relationship in her face like this when she was only here for a couple days to see Amelia. 

“I get it, don’t worry but I…I need you, Nicole, before she’s here!” Waverly gasped as Nicole pulled the skin on her neck into her mouth, she had never enjoyed someone marking her skin like that before Nicole. She wanted her to, to show everyone who her heart belonged to. Waverly captured her lips again, it was silly but being with Nicole tonight was exactly what she felt she needed to calm her nerves about meeting Shae. Seeing her and Nicole together was going to be difficult, she knew that, but confirming that Nicole only wanted Waverly now could only make that easier. “Can we go upstairs?” Nicole nodded and they both got up to check on Amelia in the living room with Wynonna, she had a tendency to fall asleep while watching TV with the little one. Waverly asked her nicely if she could sort some food for Amelia come dinner time. At first she was resistant, that was until she turned and saw the look on Nicole’s face as she brushed some hair away from Waverly’s shoulder. Wynonna rolled her eyes and nodded, she grabbed the remote from the table and turned up the volume on the TV with a smirk. 

***

Waverly woke up nervous, Shae was coming to town and she had been trying to ignore the voices in the back of her head that had been tormenting her with thoughts of how awkward it was going to be. She had hoped that Nicole and hers activities the night before would get rid of the jitters this morning but it hadn’t worked. She rolled over and pulled herself closer to Nicole’s body. She kept telling herself there was nothing to worry about, Nicole and Shae were long over but that didn’t take away the knowledge that they had been married and shared a life together. Waverly knew that Nicole loved her, that she was enough for Nicole but what if she was only enough because things hadn’t worked out with who Nicole really wanted to be with? They had a child together, lived together, experienced things together that Waverly and Nicole had yet to experience or might never end up doing together. She had told herself over and over that Nicole and Amelia were moving in, she wouldn’t do that if she didn’t want to or if she didn’t love Waverly but…

“Hey…what’s going on in that big brain of yours?” Nicole yawned as she placed her lips to Waverly’s forehead. Waverly hadn’t noticed she was awake, she realised she had been chewing her bottom lip and Nicole knew that was another one of Waverly’s nervous habits. She released it slowly and tried to force a smile. 

“Nothing…I’m just thinking about you…and Shae…” Waverly answered shyly, she didn’t like admitting that she was insecure, people could use it against her but not Nicole, Nicole would never do something like that. An understanding smile graced Nicole’s lips as she pulled Waverly into her, she had a feeling this was going to be hard for her. They hadn’t talked much about Shae’s visit, admittedly because Nicole was nervous about it as well. She feared that Shae would find out about Bobo’s presence in town and the protection that Amelia currently had whenever Nicole wasn’t around. She had informed them of Shae’s impending arrival and to look out for Amelia even when she was with her other mother. If Shae found out though, Nicole knew that Amelia would be as good as gone. 

“Can I tell you something?” Nicole buried her nose into Waverly’s hair, she had wanted to say these words to Waverly for so long but she feared it was too much or would make Waverly feel bad if she didn’t feel the same way. Seeing her fretting over her ex when there was no competition in the slightest, she knew it was time. “I have never loved anyone the way that I love you!” Waverly pulled back to look at Nicole’s face, searching for any hint of insincerity and she found none. Her breath caught in her throat and she could feel tears stinging the corners of her eyes. 

“Me neither!” Waverly knew that her words didn’t have the same impact as Nicole’s, she had never really loved anyone before Nicole. That didn’t mean it meant any less for Nicole to hear though. Waverly wanted to stay in bed, wrapped up in Nicole all day instead of both of them needing to go to work. She would be heading to Nicole’s as soon as she finished work to meet Shae at Nicole’s request but it wouldn’t be the same. Waverly wouldn’t be spending the night. Waverly thought she would rather stay at Shorty’s and deal with the drunks than meet Shae but Waverly was an important person in Nicole’s life and she was now an important person in Amelia’s life too so it was only right that Shae got to know her. 

 

Waverly made her way downstairs and put on a pot of coffee. It was a cold morning by the looks of it, she could see the remnants of frost on the grass outside as she peered through the kitchen window. Inhaling the scent of her impending coffee she appreciated for what felt like the millionth time, just how beautiful her view was. She could see for miles around without spotting another house. Even with all the bad things that happened to Waverly and Wynonna in their family home, the time that she had spent here since moving back had breathed new life into the place. When she walked through the house now she didn’t see the places where Ward had beat her, or screamed in her face for spilling juice on the floor. She saw the places where she had told Nicole that she loved her for the first time or the place where Wynonna had said she was proud of her for being true to herself and never apologising for being with Nicole. She saw the pictures that Amelia had drawn for her and she had put up on the fridge, it banished those awful times to the back of her mind and she couldn’t wait to continue making happier memories in the house. Taking a deep breath she told herself she could do this, she could meet Shae, she could show her that she was indeed worthy of Amelia and she could wait just a couple more days before Nicole moved in. 

 

Waverly was distracted throughout her shift, she dropped more glasses than she had the whole time she had worked at Shorty’s and Gus finally told her to take another break. She needed some air, apparently just telling yourself that you are totally cool with meeting your girlfriend’s ex-wife doesn’t actually make it true. She leaned against the outside wall of the bar, eyes closed, taking the brisk air slowly into her lungs. Four seconds in, holding for seven and then slowly exhaling for eight. It was failing miserably to calm her down and keep her out of her own head. 

“Well if it isn’t my favourite barmaid?” The familiar voice pulled Waverly out of her breathing exercises, a regular at Shorty’s for as long as she could remember. Even before she had started working there, Mike was practically a permanent fixture. He had been good friends with both Shorty and Waverly’s late uncle and had kept an eye out for Gus after Curtis passed. 

“Evening, Mike!” Waverly plastered her work smile on her face, perfected over the years but normally it wasn’t necessary for this particular customer. He was always polite, tipped remarkably well for not looking like a man of much means and he had even dragged a couple less friendly customers out of the bar when they had spoken to Waverly in a way he deemed inappropriate. He didn’t seem to notice the lack of enthusiasm in her greeting and carried on inside. Waverly followed him in and was behind the bar preparing his usual before he had finished greeting his drinking buddies. Waverly waved off his payment, first one was always on the house for Mike but that didn’t stop him trying to pay every single time. He nodded graciously at Waverly but didn’t make off for his usual table, instead hanging by the bar eyes on the entrance as if waiting for someone. Gus checked that Waverly was feeling a little more together before she disappeared back into the office. 

The doors swung open and two men who Waverly instantly recognised as Bobo’s cronies sauntered in. Waverly huffed, this was just what she needed with less than an hour to go on her shift. Much to Waverly’s surprise Mike walked over to join them at the table they had picked up the back, away from the rest of the customers. Waverly recoiled as Mike greeted them fondly, they seemed close. What the hell was a nice guy like him doing socialising with degenerates? The pair who had just walked in didn’t bother with coming to the bar and they were barely hiding the fact that they each a small flask on them. Taking sips in full view of Waverly, had it been anyone else she would have given them a piece of her mind but not them, not today. She didn’t have the energy. 

Ignoring the rage that was slowly rising inside her every time she saw one of them lift their flask up to take a drink, Waverly wiped down the bar trying to figure out why the three of them seemed so friendly. Mike had to be at least twenty years their senior, seemed pretty clean cut and while Waverly admittedly didn’t know a whole lot about him, she never in a million years would have thought those were his kind of people. Mike took the rest of his drink in one and rose from the table, the other two standing with him and moving off. All three of them left the bar, Waverly wished she could have heard what they were talking about. She watched through the windows as they rounded the bar and went into the back alley, that was enough for Waverly’s intrigue to reach its peak and she walked quickly to the side door that would lead her to them. No one went into that alley, except Shorty’s staff, in the evening unless it was for something dodgy. Waverly grabbed her phone from her pocket and opened the camera app. If these men were going to do something to Mike, she couldn’t stop them but she could get some evidence and if need be call the police. _Nicole…Shae…_ She snapped herself out of it, she was at the back door now and she could hear muffled voices a little bit down the alley. 

Cracking the door open just enough to see the small group talking quietly, looking extremely shifty. One of Bobo’s men handed Mike a sizeable envelope, he took it and placed it into the inside pocket of his jacket. Waverly managed to capture it, photo was a little blurry she thought but hopefully it was enough. Clearly Mike wasn’t the upstanding citizen that Waverly had always imagined. 

“You know the drill, just get it done!” The taller of the two men spoke to Mike, Waverly took another couple of photo’s as a car drove by, headlights illuminating their faces a little better in the retreating natural light. What did he mean by that? Did Mike work for Bobo now too? Or maybe they knew each other before? Waverly hadn’t thought much about Bobo’s connection to Purgatory since she had figured out the properties he had in town, Nicole hadn’t taken much work home with her as of late so Waverly had no new information but she had made a point of going into some of those businesses, checking who worked there and if she thought they might know exactly what was happening there. She had figured most employees would have no idea if money was being laundered through there but someone in town had to be running things for Bobo when he hadn’t been around. She knew Nicole could only tell her certain things about the case and that didn’t help Waverly’s endless curiosity with what was going down in her town. The town that she had always considered so boring. 

Mike had walked down the alley, away from the main street but the other two stood for a moment before making their way back round towards the front of Shorty’s. Waverly attempted to close the door before they would pass her but ended up dropping her phone and the door swung open further as she went to grab it. Straightening herself up she saw the two men eyeing her suspiciously from the alley, trying to ask as casual as possible she took the few steps outside and sat on a keg that was placed to the right of the door, eyes fixed on her phone pretending to text someone. The men took a few steps forward, seemingly buying her act before she heard a scrape of shoe on concrete. One of them had turned back around. 

“You’re that dyke cops girlfriend, huh?” The words were practically spat at Waverly, she felt her whole body tense up as her eyes rose to see a vomit inducing leer directed at her. “You know, pretty girl like you shouldn’t be fucking around with a woman! If you like butch so much, why not go for the real thing?” He reached out his hand towards Waverly’s face, his fingers were yellow from tobacco and he had dirt under every single nail. Waverly quickly swatted his hand away and gave him her best glare. She knew she should keep her cool but no one talked about Nicole like that. 

“I’m pretty sure you couldn’t measure up…” Waverly got to her feet, feeling far too small sitting down on that keg. The man still had a good foot of height on her but she felt less trapped. That was until he took a step forward and slammed his hand against the wall behind Waverly, she was stuck having to taste his awful breath just a few inches away from her face. 

“Well maybe I just have to show you what you’re missing out on…” He brought his hand towards her face again, Waverly was frozen now, she couldn’t swat his hand away or push him away from her. Even if she got him out of her way, there was another similarly unfriendly face right behind. Two against one, she would definitely come off worse in that scenario and the look in his eyes told Waverly that this was not just talk. She felt bile rising in her throat, trying to remember the basic self defence moves she had learned from a YouTube video one afternoon a couple years ago. 

“Everything alright here gentleman?” Dolls voice sounded from a few feet behind the men, Waverly had been so scared she hadn’t even noticed him appearing. Waverly released the breath she hadn’t realised she was holding in as the man pulled away from her, arm dropping from the wall freeing her. She took a step closer to the door as she watched Dolls lower his hand to hover over his holster at his side. He motioned for Waverly to go back inside and she quickly went. She leaned her back against the now closed door and let a single sob escape her mouth before attempting to compose herself, she had left the bar unattended and needed to get back. 

Her heart was still in her throat as she got back behind the bar, trying desperately not to think about what might have happened if Dolls hadn’t appeared when he did. What had she been thinking following them to the alley? This wasn’t her job, she shouldn’t have been so stupid to think that whatever they were up to was anything she should be getting involved in. Why was Dolls even there? Had he been doing exactly what she had been doing? She should have trusted that whatever help she thought she was being wasn’t more than what Dolls and Nicole were already busy working on.

She could still smell his breath on her, she wanted to be sick and as soon as Gus came out the office to work the closing shift Waverly got her coat and left. Gus didn’t look like she bought her excuse of not feeling well but she didn’t care, she had to get out of there. She risked a quick look down the alley before getting into her jeep but it was empty now, no sign of any of them. 

The short drive to Nicole’s place hadn’t been enough to calm Waverly down any, her heart was still pumping and her palms were clammy against the steering wheel. She was going to make a great first impression on Shae. Grabbing her purse from the passenger seat she made her way to Nicole’s front door, normally she would just walk straight in using the key Nicole had made for her but tonight she decided to knock. When Nicole answered the door with a smile everything that man had said to Waverly came rushing back anew, the total hatred in his voice, the look in his eyes when he had insinuated showing her what she was missing and it was too much. Waverly had dealt with creepy men the entire time she worked in Shorty’s but she had never experienced homophobia before, no one in town had said anything nasty when Nicole and her relationship became common knowledge. If anyone didn’t approve, they had kept it to themselves. Waverly couldn’t help it when her tears started to fall, quiet sobs continued as Nicole pulled her into her arms. 

“Baby, what’s wrong?” Nicole had never seen Waverly like this. Shaking uncontrollably as more sobs escaped. She could hear Shae and Amelia playing behind them in the living room and this didn’t seem like something Waverly would want them seeing so she kept a tight grip on her as they moved outside and sat on the small bench to the side of the front door. Waverly sat in Nicole’s lap, tears still falling but her breathing had slowed. “Hey, what happened?” 

Waverly told Nicole, even admitting to why she had been out by the alley. Nicole frowned at that but she knew there was more to the story so she didn’t interrupt to tell Waverly how reckless that had been. When Waverly finally told Nicole what that man had said, the anger that coursed through her was insurmountable. She didn’t let name calling get to her but that was because she was used to it, Waverly was not and that on top of the implication of what he had wanted to do to her Waverly nearly made her sick. She was glad then that Waverly had been there snooping, she would be able to know exactly who to look out for. 

“I was so scared, Nicole and I know it was stupid of me to be out there but how can people be so full of hate?” Waverly’s tears had stopped now and she felt safe being held in Nicole’s arms. “It made me so angry hearing him use that word to describe you…” 

“I know, it’s tough but I learned a long time ago that you can take it personally or you can understand that it’s their lives that are worse off because they can’t accept people who are different than themselves.” Nicole placed her lips on Waverly’s forehead before giving her another once over to check that she was ready to go inside. Waverly nodded and they both got up, Shae was probably wondering where they had gone. Nicole opened the door and held it for Waverly to enter, she dabbed under her eyes to minimise the evidence of her teary breakdown. 

“Waverly!” Amelia shouted as soon as she saw her and ran over, Waverly knelt down to give her a hug but Amelia’s smile turned to a concerned pout as she placed small fingers on Waverly’s face around her eyes. “Are you sad?” 

“I was but I’m all better now! I promise!” Waverly winked and Amelia’s smile returned accompanied by a giggle. 

“Waverly, this is Shae, Shae, Waverly!” Nicole stood a little awkwardly between them as Waverly got up from her kneeling position on the floor. She put her hand out to shake Shae’s hand and greeted her. 

“Nice to finally meet you, Amelia has told me all about you!” Shae gave a tight lipped smile and took Waverly’s hand, Nicole knew the words were a dig at her for not telling Shae about Waverly herself but she chose to ignore it. It was going to be a long few days if she paid attention to every passive aggressive comment that Shae made. “Everything alright?” Shae gestured to Waverly’s obviously still puffy eyes. 

“She just sadly had her first encounter with a homophobe…” Nicole wrapped her arm around Waverly’s waist and squeezed her closer. She wasn’t sure if Shae’s concern was genuine or she was just being nosey but that was enough information to keep her satisfied either way. Waverly gave Shae a sad smile and nodded. 

“Yeah, let’s just have a nice evening and forget about it!” Waverly leaned up and kissed Nicole’s cheek before making her way to the kitchen and grabbing a beer from the fridge. She was definitely feeling better after speaking with Nicole but something to take the edge off couldn’t help. Turning back towards the living room Waverly properly took Shae in for the first time since she had arrived, she was almost as tall as Nicole, slim and absolutely stunning despite the fact that Waverly knew she had been travelling literally all day. No wonder Nicole fell for her. 

They got to know each other a little better over dinner as Shae talked all about her current gender studies teaching position in Berlin. Waverly thought it sounded amazing, she had always wanted to visit Europe and when she told Shae as much, she talked for a while about how different life is over there. Shae always loved where she was teaching at any given time but Nicole sensed something was different about this position, maybe her students were more engaged or the challenge of teaching in a foreign language was what Shae had been craving. Nicole could tell that Shae was trying to impress Waverly, not surprising after all the gushing that Amelia had done. 

When it came time for Amelia to go to bed she begged Waverly to read her story like most nights, much to Shae’s dismay but Waverly managed to convince Amelia to let her mom do it. Shae thanked her as she followed Amelia to her bedroom, Waverly could tell that it had hurt her and she didn’t want Shae to have any reasons to dislike her. Nicole wrapped herself around Waverly from behind after they had disappeared down the hall and told her how smart a move that was, only joking a little about how Shae would never have forgiven their daughter for that. 

“I know we said it was probably best if you didn’t stay here while Shae is but I don’t want you to be alone tonight…” Nicole tightened her arms around Waverly, Waverly smiled at Nicole’s concern. “You were a little jumpy over dinner.” Waverly had hoped Nicole hadn’t noticed but of course she did, she always knew when Waverly wasn’t feeling right. She had been jumpy and to try and compensate had probably drank more alcohol than really necessary so driving was likely not a wise move. She didn’t want to make things awkward between Nicole and Shae but she also really did not want to be alone. Being in Nicole’s arms helped her forget about her encounter earlier but it was definitely still there, gnawing away at her. Who did he think he was? As if anyone, anywhere could ever live up to Nicole. She turned herself around, keeping Nicole’s hands firmly on her waist and out of habit let her own hands wander up the back of Nicole’s sweater. 

“Thank you!” Waverly softly kissed Nicole, hands moving further up her own back mirroring the actions of hers on Nicole. Waverly couldn’t stop herself from deepening the kiss, probably due to the alcohol but it was also helping her forgot more and more. She sighed heavily as Nicole pulled back. 

“Amelia might be able to sleep through us but Shae is literally the lightest sleeper in the world…gonna have to keep it PG tonight.” Nicole smiled shyly, she knew it was a little silly. As if Shae wouldn’t know exactly what Nicole and Waverly got up to but she wasn’t willing to deal with the awkwardness it might create. “Reckon you’ll be able to contain yourself?” Nicole raised her eyebrows suggestively, teasing Waverly who let out a fake laugh. 

“Yeah, I think I can control myself, Haughtstuff!” Waverly slapped her ass gently, earning her a devilish grin from Nicole before she returned the favour just a little harder to Waverly’s rear. She felt a rush of heat between her legs and glared at Nicole. Ok, maybe it was going to be a little harder than she thought.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry I had to put Waverly through that but it leads somewhere I promise! 
> 
> Just wanted to say thank you again to everyone continuing to read this, I really wasn't aware just how much I had missed writing proper stories until recently and all your comments and kudos mean a lot! Can't believe this has over 10,000 hits now! 
> 
> I've just hit 55k words on what I currently have written for this, just a few more chapters I need to write but I definitely think I'll be be going ahead with the plan to write one-shots every now and again to add to this after I've posted the entire main story.


	12. Chapter 12

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This one and the next couple updates are a little shorter than I would have liked, felt like each of them needed to be stand alone updates but there's a nice long one coming up soon that I know you will enjoy so bare with me!

Nicole walked into work the next morning, a woman on a mission. Waverly had forwarded the few photos she had taken the night before to her phone and she was ready to put names to faces. She wasn’t sure what Dolls had done with them after Waverly had gone back inside the bar, part of her hoped they were in a holding cell right now. Bypassing her actual desk she went straight to the offices where her and Dolls worked together. He was already in, going over some files when she flew through the door and grabbed his laptop. 

“Woah there, Haught!” Dolls sat up a little straighter taking in the obviously furious redhead. “If this is about those two bothering Waverly yesterday, I had to let them off with a warning…no actual crime had been committed!” Dolls instantly regretted speaking up as a glare he had never seen before and never wanted to see again on Nicole was focused directly at him. 

“Are you kidding me?! They weren’t ‘bothering’ her as you so kindly put it, they were harassing her and threatening her with horrible things because she is with me, a woman!” Nicole slumped down in the seat Dolls had pushed towards her, urging her to sit and calm down. “I’m sorry…you couldn’t have known what they said to her. Waverly told me you only appeared afterwards…why were you there?” Nicole had just been so thankful that he had been there, she hadn’t really thought about why. 

“I didn’t realise…I apologise! I’d been tailing them for a couple hours, checking out where they were going, I thought it would be alright to take a quick call from DC until I heard voices in the alley. I figured they were just popping in to Shorty’s for a drink and if they caused any trouble I would be close by.” Dolls put his hand on Nicole’s shoulder and tapped the space bar on the laptop to bring it to life, before typing in his password. “What was she even doing out there? Pretty sure she doesn’t smoke…”

“Yeah, about that…” Nicole had to tell Dolls, even if it would potentially end in a stern warning for Waverly to keep her nose out of FBI business. She recounted Waverly’s story as close to how she had told it the night before, including the pictures now on Nicole’s phone. Surprisingly, Dolls didn’t seem nearly as angry as she thought he was going to be but he did call Waverly an idiot before quickly backtracking and saying it was an just an idiotic thing to do. Nicole couldn’t argue with that. Dolls apologised again, this time for not checking that Waverly was alright after he made sure the men moved along and didn’t go back inside of Shorty’s. Nicole thanked him although she wasn’t sure that it would have made much of a difference considering the state Waverly had been in when she arrived at her place. 

After putting names to the men that were with Mike in the alley, Nicole pulled up everything they had on Mike Wilson. Nothing seemed to connect him to a life of crime but maybe that’s exactly what Bobo needed, someone clean or apparently so and well known in town to do things he couldn’t. 

“You’re girlfriend really needs to stop showing us up!” Dolls voice was stern but Nicole could see the tiniest hints of a smile on his face. “I’m going to put in for a warrant to tap Wilson’s phone, there has to be someone in this town connected to Del Rey!” Dolls pulled out his phone and dialled before dismissing Nicole and walking off to the adjoining office, closing the door behind him. Even though Nicole wasn’t his partner, she was just assisting him, it still stung when he shut her out. She would feel like they were really getting somewhere together and then she would have to go back to her own desk. She found it difficult to focus on any of her normal police duties when there was something much more sinister going on in Purgatory. 

After forty minutes of sitting restless at her desk she dialled Waverly’s number, Shorty’s would hopefully be quiet enough that she could talk for a few minutes. When Nicole had left with her that morning, Waverly seemed a lot calmer than when she had arrived at her place but she wanted to check in. Make sure those assholes hadn’t decided to pay her another visit, she hated that Waverly had to work at the only drinking establishment it town and ran into Bobo’s men far too often. Waverly hadn’t complained much about them other than the fights that they started but at least those tended to be with other drunken idiots and then the police when they were inevitably called, not the bar staff. Thankfully most of the trouble happened in the early hours of the morning, when Waverly was already off shift. Just another reason she was glad that Gus let her swap her shifts around for Amelia’s sake.

Waverly was fine, happy even, Wynonna and Doc had decided to hang out at the bar and she was amusing herself watching Doc kick Wynonna’s butt at pool for the hundredth time that day. Nicole hadn’t had the pleasure to spend all that much time with Doc without Wynonna hanging around. She felt like Wynonna’s insistence that they were not ‘exclusive’ may not have been a mutual understanding and she wanted to ask him, subtly of course, what exactly they were to one another. She could see the way he looked at the eldest Earp, like no one else in the world mattered. It was the same look she received from Waverly all the time. Waverly asked her to come to the bar for lunch, she had to decline, far too much paperwork to do to take an actual break considering she had managed to get a whole lot of nothing done the last half hour. 

Nicole’s head was thumping by the time she had got through most of the overdue paper work and when her stomach started to voice it’s anger at being ignored, she regretted not taking Waverly up on her offer even more. She stretched out the muscles in her now stiff neck and back before she got up from her chair to head to the break room, hoping to find something worth eating. She was stopped half way on her journey by the familiar sound of measured footfalls. It didn’t matter that it had been nearly three years since she stopped hearing them everyday, the way Shae’s heels hit a floor would always be stuck in Nicole’s mind. 

Nicole turned around hoping to find Shae in a good mood, she definitely was and on top of that was carrying what looked like a bag of take out. Nicole laughed at herself as her stomach rumbled again just at the sight of it. 

“Hey, I stopped by Shortys is it?” Shae smiled and Nicole nodded. “Shorty’s! And Waverly mentioned you didn’t have time for a break so I figured I would bring some food and we could talk? At your desk if you really are that busy.” 

“I can probably manage ten minutes away from my desk.” Nicole led the way through to the break room, she didn’t know what Shae wanted to talk about, it didn’t seem like anything awful from the way she was holding herself but she was always good at hiding things. They sat down after Nicole fetched some plates and cutlery, still no clue what was actually hidden away inside the bag. Did Shae still remember what she liked? She wasn’t sure if she could say the same thing. It ended up being a chicken burger, not necessarily Nicole’s favourite but definitely her first choice over a beef burger that Shae had bought for herself. “I just wanted to talk a little more about Amelia’s school, it’s fine for now but I don’t think so once she gets past glorified daycare and then there’s High School, I’m not sure that the local one is really going to cut it! I’ve been looking at private schools in the area…” 

“Wait, what?” Nicole interrupted, a little taken aback. They hadn’t really talked about it but Nicole didn’t realise that this was a permanent thing, Amelia staying with her in Purgatory. Not that Nicole wasn’t thrilled at the idea of Amelia being with her, Nicole just assumed that Shae would move back to the States or somewhere in Canada once her position in Berlin was finished and Amelia would have to move back with her. That’s what she always did, stay until she had somewhere new to teach, somewhere new to explore and expand young minds as she put it. “You’re staying in Germany for that long?” Nicole thought it was bad enough that Amelia had to go this long without seeing her mom, how was she going to deal with being in a different country most of the time until she was nearly an adult? 

“Oh sorry, did I not say? I’ve been offered a permanent position and I really love it Nicole, I don’t know why I didn’t do this sooner!” Shae was practically vibrating with glee but Nicole was inwardly seething, her mind rattling off a million reasons why Shae hadn’t done this sooner. _Because you have a daughter, because you have responsibilities to be there for her, because she’s not just something holding you back from your dream job, she’s your child!_

“Shae, what about Amelia? She should be able to see more than just when you’re off between semesters.” Nicole was keeping her cool despite the fact the rage was sitting just inches away from the surface. “I love having her, I really do but surely she deserves to spend more time with you than that!” 

“We can work out the details, Nicole! She can come and stay with me in the summer, we can explore Europe together and then I can come back over Christmas break and actually stay for more than a few days.” Shae took Nicole’s hand, her thumb brushing slightly against one of Nicole’s knuckles. “Besides…you’re better at this whole mom thing than I am…I can see how happy Amelia is here with you. She was always so sad when she came back from staying with you.” Shae cast her eyes down to their hands on the table and let go. Nicole knew that was incredibly hard thing for Shae to admit, she was the proudest person she knew. 

“Ok, Shae…we’ll work it out and we will definitely be talking about this private school notion! Neither of us went to private school and we turned out just fine.” Nicole had so much more she wanted to say, so much they needed to talk about, for now though she wanted Shae to enjoy the rest of her time with Amelia without any arguments to overshadow it. 

They finished the rest of their meal chatting about how Amelia was currently getting on at school, Nicole beamed over how well her reading was coming along and even though she wanted to give Waverly the praise she deserved for helping her daughter with it, she figured it probably wouldn’t go down so well with Shae. They were clearing away the mess they had left when someone came running into the break room. 

“Haught!” Lonnie shouted, even though Nicole was barely five feet from the doorway where he was stood. “He’s awake! Sheriff’s awake!” Before Nicole could ask any questions, the phone in Lonnie’s hand got his attention and he was back off down the hall saying the words again to whoever was on the other end of the call. 

“Small town Sheriff’s not sleeping on the job is groundbreaking news huh?” Shae laughed as she tried to move past Nicole standing at the sink. Nicole was frozen on the spot, Nedley had made it, sure she didn’t know what state he was in after being comatose for weeks but he was awake. Her actions hadn’t made this town lose its Sheriff and she was ecstatic about that but now she had to explain to Shae what Lonnie actually meant. 

“Uh actually…he’s been in a coma…ever since he got shot like a month ago.” Nicole spoke quietly as she palmed the back of her neck, Shae narrowed her eyes at Nicole, she knew her far too well to know it was the whole story and Nicole could tell whatever lie she came up with was not going to work. 

_Shit._

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> FINALLY some good news about Nedley! Now to wait and see how Shae reacts to the truth...
> 
> Thanks again for all your wonderful comments!


	13. Chapter 13

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So I wasn't planning on posting today but it's been snowing since yesterday where I am and I decided I would hibernate inside instead of attempting any social plans on my day off! Enjoy!

“For god’s sake, Nicole! The only reason I was happy for Amelia to live with you in this town, in the middle of nowhere, while you are doing a typically dangerous job was because I didn’t think a damn thing happened here!” Shae’s voice was piercing, Nicole didn’t think she’d ever seen her so angry before. “When I looked up Purgatory, the only remotely dangerous thing I found was a newspaper article from like fifteen years ago of a teenager shooting her father…and that was only because he was abusive!” Nicole’s heart sank, _Wynonna._

They had been arguing non-stop for the past thirty minutes, Nicole had managed to keep Shae’s questioning to a minimum until she was able to excuse herself from work and drive them back to her place. Everyone at the station was so preoccupied with the news that Nedley had woken up they didn’t even care she was leaving early. Nicole’s resolve had broken the moment they were in her living room away from prying eyes and ears, she told Shae most of what had happened, that she was shot, cracked a couple ribs and that she had taken one of the bank robbers down. Leaving out everything to do with Bobo and his men hanging about Purgatory after the robbery, the vague threat to Amelia’s safety as well as her own, the fact that Waverly had been so upset the night before not just because of some random homophobe but because of them and she definitely did not mention a thing about working with Dolls to put an end to Del Rey’s organisation. 

“It isn’t like this stuff happens all the time in Purgatory, it’s a small town and it is a safe place…that’s probably why they thought they could get away with it.” Nicole had had enough of being shouted at, she knew she had messed up by not telling Shae but she was exhausted. She flopped down on the couch and sighed. Purgatory had been a safe place and would be again once Bobo and his ilk were gone. 

“And did they? Get away with it?” Shae was not impressed by Nicole’s apparent lack of interest in their conversation…heated discussion. Her arms folded tightly across her chest. 

“There’s an FBI guy here working on it, they’ve done this all over the place…he came to speak to me when I was recovering. He’s close to catching them…I think.” Nicole kept it as vague as possible, she was sure if Shae’s reaction to hearing about her working with said FBI guy was anything remotely like Waverly’s she couldn’t handle it right now. 

“You got shot Nicole…why did you keep that from me?! How were you even taking care of Amelia after something like that?” Shae’s voice had lowered somewhat and she genuinely seemed concerned for Nicole. She placed herself down on the coffee table in front of Nicole, waiting for her reply. 

“Waverly helped and her sister, they are both great with Amelia!” Nicole couldn’t help but smile as she thought about it but tried to keep it to a minimum, they were still technically arguing here. 

“But they aren’t her mother, you are! You should be able to take care of her and what if something happens again? Can’t depend on your current squeeze to always be there in the future!” Shae rolled her eyes and it wiped any remnants of a smile off Nicole’s face in an instant. She knew Shae was angry and maybe saying things she didn’t really mean but it made Nicole’s blood boil.

“Don’t speak about Waverly like that! Like she’s just someone I’m sleeping with!” Nicole leaned forward, eyes full of fire as she watched Shae’s face turn into the smug, condescending look that Nicole knew all too well. Maybe she did mean it. 

“Come on, Nicole! We both know you’re far too good for her! She’s a bartender for Christ’s sake…you were all alone in a new town, you just needed someone to keep you company!” Shae was almost laughing, either ignoring or not even noticing the way Nicole was gripping the edge of her couch in anger. Shae could be a snob sometimes, Nicole knew this but she had never heard her be so openly mean about someone Nicole was close to even if she did think they were beneath her. 

“Stop with your snobby attitude!” Nicole was on her feet again, a new wave of energy ignited by Shae’s words. “Who cares if she’s ‘just a barmaid’, she’s smart and kind and full of surprises! You think I’d let just anyone look after our daughter? You think I’d let some random hook up pick her up from school or put her to bed at night?! Does it really bother you this much that I’m happy?!” Shae was on her feet now too, their faces inches apart and Nicole could see her anger reflected back at her. 

“So what? You love her is that what you’re trying to tell me?” Shae huffed as if it was the most ridiculous thing in the world and Nicole snapped. 

“Yeah, a hell of a lot more than I ever loved you!” Nicole sneered before she could stop herself, it was cruel and totally uncalled for. It might have been the truth but Nicole had never said something so horrible to Shae before. It snapped her out of whatever angry fit she was in and she instantly regretted it. “Shae…I’m sorry. Shit. I…I shouldn’t have said that…” Nicole put a hand on her shoulder but it was quickly swiped away. 

“Nice…real fucking nice, Nicole!” Shae moved away from her and round the coffee table reaching down to where she was keeping her still mostly packed suitcase. “I’m going to stay at a motel or something tonight…I can’t…I can’t be around you right now!” When she looked back at Nicole there were tears in her eyes, not yet falling but threatening to any second. She zipped up her bag and headed for the door. As if perfectly timed to inflict more pain on Shae, it was at that exact moment that Waverly walked in with Amelia from school. 

Waverly hadn’t known why Nicole had asked her to pick up Amelia, she just asked and Waverly of course agreed immediately. She had a feeling it might have something to do with Nedley waking up from his coma, she had heard the news less than five minutes after getting the text from Nicole. Now it seemed pretty obvious by the tense atmosphere in the room that Nicole and Shae had been arguing, Waverly quickly guessed that they had heard the news about Nedley waking up while Shae was at the station and it no doubt had led to a few questions for Nicole. She wasn’t a great liar at the best of times but with something like this, Waverly was sure Shae would have been able to see right through whatever excuse she had come up with for Nedley being in the hospital. Waverly clocked Shae’s suitcase in her hand and looked to Nicole for an answer as to why, Nicole just shook her head and looked away. She was still angry at herself for being so hurtful. 

“Mom! Where you going?” Amelia reached up to Shae for a hug, she bent down and kissed her cheek before bringing Amelia tight against her chest. 

“Mom’s got somewhere to be tonight, honey. I’ll see you tomorrow, ok?” Shae let out a deep sigh and from Waverly’s position still behind Amelia she could see a couple tears rolling down Shae’s left cheek as she closed her eyes. “We’ll go for breakfast, how do pancakes sound?” 

“Yummy!” Amelia laughed and Shae wiped the tears away before pulling back from the hug and kissing her one more time before she left. Amelia waved as she walked out the door, completely obvious to whatever had just gone down between her parents. She skipped further into the house babbling something about pancakes and reaching for the TV remote. With Amelia distracted and the front door firmly closed behind her, Waverly grabbed Nicole’s hand and dragged her to the kitchen so they could talk a little more privately. 

“What the hell just happened?!” 

Nicole sheepishly recounted their entire conversation turned argument and as she said the words out loud again that had caused Shae to storm out she beat herself up over it even more. How could she be so vicious? That wasn’t like her at all. Something had stirred within her when she had been so dismissive of her relationship with Waverly. 

“I just feel like such an asshole…even if what I said was true, I shouldn’t have said it to her, not like that!” Nicole lowered her head onto Waverly’s shoulder who immediately wrapped her arms around Nicole’s back to comfort her. 

“Baby, you’re not an asshole! We all say things we regret in the heat of the moment…is it bad that I feel a little smug that she knows though?” Waverly chewed the inside of her cheek, maybe she shouldn’t have said that out loud. Nicole looked at her with a small smile shaking her head. 

“Really not helping, Waves.” Nicole laughed pulling Waverly tighter against her body, head resting on her shoulder again. 

“Sorry, I just like that you were basically defending my honour…she’ll calm down and then you can talk about it! I doubt she’s going to want to keep things awkward when you two have Amelia to think about. It’ll be fine, ok?” Waverly kissed the side of Nicole’s head before it lifted off her shoulder and their lips met. Nicole realised mid-kiss that with retelling everything that had happened after their initial conversation at the station, she hadn’t mentioned anything about Shae deciding to stay in Germany permanently to Waverly. 

Would Shae really decide that Purgatory wasn’t safe enough for Amelia to stay with Nicole? Nicole felt there was a very real possibility of her doing that if she didn’t manage to apologise properly and calm any fears she had before she left town. Nicole knew that Waverly would likely be thrilled if she knew Amelia was going to be staying for good but it was premature to tell her if she didn’t even know that was the case anymore. She would let her calm down and speak to her tomorrow when she came to take Amelia to breakfast. Amelia was safe, Nicole was sure of it now, her protection gave Dolls daily reports and so far nothing had turned up that made them believe Bobo was going to have his men attempt anything. Despite this, Dolls had said that they would stay for the duration, not willing to leave anything to chance and Nicole breathed easier knowing that they were still keeping an eye on her daughter. 

Her first impression of Dolls had been that he was cold, unfeeling and if she was being honest, a bit of a dick but the more time she spent around him, the more she realised that it was more of a persona he tried very hard to keep up. She had wondered multiple times what it would be like to spend some time off duty with him, have him actually relax for once. Maybe she could invite him to Waverly’s for Christmas? They’d made tentative plans to have everyone round, they would be settled into living together by then and she could tell that Waverly was already excited about it. The invitation could be a thank you for helping keep Amelia safe and stopping those men from doing anything to Waverly outside of Shorty’s, Nicole knew he probably deserved more than that but without knowing much about him she couldn’t think of a better way to express her gratitude. 

Nicole sulked as the rest of the day passed by, there were so many conflicting emotions going on inside that one minute she could be processing the information that Nedley was awake and from the updates Waverly had received from Chrissy, seemed to be doing really well. The next she was pissed at Shae for what she had said about Waverly and then the next she would be angry at herself for what she had said back. It didn’t make for very fun company and she was surprised Waverly hadn’t decided to head back to her place and get away from her ever changing mood. After Amelia was tucked up in bed Waverly grabbed a bottle of wine out of the fridge along with two glasses and brought them over to where Nicole was in full on mope mode on the couch, ignoring whatever was on the television and staring off into space. Without a word Waverly poured them a glass each and curled herself into Nicole side. 

“You know Shae wasn’t telling the truth, right?” Nicole spoke for the first time in what felt like hours as she reached forward and grabbed her glass that Waverly left on the coffee table. She had been internally debating whether telling Waverly exactly what Shae had said about her was a good thing or not the whole time Waverly was putting Amelia to bed. Left properly alone with her thoughts for the first time since the argument had put her into a worse mood and while she couldn’t say that Waverly seemed offended in the slightest by what Shae had said, she couldn’t help but wonder if she shouldn’t have told her. “You’re not just in my life because I was lonely…I mean I guess I was lonely but you know that’s not all you are to me, some place holder, right?” 

“Of course I know that, Nicole!” Waverly reached up and turned Nicole’s face to look at her, she had still been staring off at nothing as she spoke. Staring deep into Nicole’s eyes Waverly could see that while she had heard her, she didn’t look like she necessarily believed what Waverly had said. This Nicole looked small, nervous. So unlike the Nicole she knew. “Look at me, I love you and I know that you love me…whatever she said doesn’t mean a damn thing because she doesn’t know me and she doesn’t know _us_ , ok?” 

“Ok.” Nicole nodded and took a long drink of her wine before placing it back down on the coffee table and wrapping both arms around Waverly. “You’re right!” Nicole placed a quick kiss to Waverly’s hair and finally let her muscles relax. 

“I’m always right!” Waverly giggled, gently prodding Nicole in the side before hugging into her even tighter than before. Waverly stared up at her expectantly, waiting for any sign that Nicole still felt bothered by what Shae had said but all she saw was warmth in the smiling face looking down at her. 

 

***

“When will mom be back?” Amelia cried, wrapped up in Waverly’s arms in Nicole’s living room. Shae had just left and honestly they didn’t know when she would be back again. 

Nicole had managed to smooth things over with Shae after their argument, it had taken Shae a little by surprise when Nicole had straight up demanded they talk before she took Amelia for breakfast at the diner. Nicole apologised for being so hurtful but Shae brushed it off, she was upset but laying in the tiny motel bed awake most of the night had given her time to think and she came to the conclusion that she had in fact been angry that Nicole was happy. Not because she didn’t deserve to be happy or that she was under any sort of delusion that they were ever going to rekindle their relationship but because she could see just _how_ happy Nicole was with Waverly. The way she looked at her, a way that she had never looked at Shae and it hurt. Shae decided she didn’t want to be bitter, she didn’t want to hold the fact that she had never managed to find someone she felt was worth her time since Nicole, over her. It wasn’t her fault and it wasn’t Shae’s. These things happen. Nicole was taken aback by Shae’s attitude, she hadn’t expected it to be so easy but they still had to talk about the bigger issue. Whether Shae really felt that Amelia couldn’t live with Nicole after discovering that being a police officer anywhere, no matter how quiet and peaceful a place it may seem, always has its risks. 

Shae was admittedly hesitant, she really was upset that Nicole had kept something like getting shot from her, even if she had been wearing a vest but she trusted Nicole when she said that it was safe in Purgatory. Nicole felt guilty hearing that when she was still technically lying to her ex-wife but Amelia was potentially the most well protected five year old in the town. Shae told Nicole that she would explain to Amelia that she would be staying in Germany for the foreseeable future over breakfast and while it took every single ounce of energy she had not to beam at the idea, Nicole managed to contain herself until she told Shae one last thing. 

“Uh, just so you know exactly what is going on with Amelia I wanted to tell you that Waverly has asked us to move in with her…it’s a much bigger place and Amelia would actually have a proper garden, even thinking about getting a cat!” Nicole offered a shy smile towards Shae as she stood up from the bench outside her front door. 

“Ok…just send me the address alright? And I’d like to have Waverly’s number as well for emergencies if I can’t get a hold of you.” Shae stood and tried to sort the creases that had formed in her skirt, only making eye contact with Nicole for a brief moment before staring down at her hands. 

“Of course.” 

“I am happy for you, y’know? Even if it is a little aggravating at the same time…seeing you this loved up!” Shae lightly pushed her fist into Nicole’s shoulder as the pair laughed, the air felt lighter around them, lighter than it had been in years and Nicole was extremely thankful that this conversation hadn’t devolved into another argument. “I’m sorry for what I said about Waverly, she…she didn’t deserve that.” Shae worried her bottom lip between her teeth, waiting for Nicole to admonish her for her behaviour the day before. Nicole apologised for her own behaviour and forgave Shae but suggested she tell Waverly the same, Shae sighed as she rolled her eyes. Of course she had told Waverly what she had said. 

She apologised to Waverly while Amelia grabbed her bag off her bed and much to Shae’s confusion Waverly pulled her into a hug and told her that it was water under the bridge. It made Shae feel even worse for saying those things, she really hadn’t deserved it at all. Shae and Amelia left then, the little girl excited for breakfast with her mother and that she would be picking her up from school before she needed to start her drive to the airport. Amelia didn’t seem to process that that meant she was leaving but letting her enjoy the day before it sunk in couldn’t hurt so none of them pointed it out. 

When Shae had dropped her off at Nicole’s, she didn’t have a lot of time before she needed to leave and so she decided to spend it giving Amelia her Christmas present early. Amelia being the girl that she was thanked her mother, placing it down on the coffee table stilled wrapped, before promising not to open it before Christmas day. All three adults in the room laughed before Shae bent down to pull her daughter into a hug. Nicole looked on with a sad smile as Shae closed her eyes, relishing the final moment before she needed to leave. Nicole knew it would be different this time, there was no excitement of Amelia moving to a new place to keep her mind off the fact her mom wasn’t around. As soon as Shae pulled away in her hire car, Amelia’s tears began. Nicole had been mentally preparing herself, thinking of the right words to say to her daughter but Amelia had launched herself at Waverly for comfort immediately. 

“You’ll see her soon, sweetie! We can call her on skype when she gets home, how about that?” Waverly picked up Amelia and held her tight as she rested her head on Waverly’s shoulder, tears still falling as she took sharp staggered breaths in. She just about managed to tell Waverly that was a good idea before the tears took over again. Nicole ran her hands down her daughters back just staring at Waverly in awe. How did she get so lucky, to be able to call this woman hers? Someone who cares so selflessly for her daughter, who knew exactly how to comfort Amelia and make Nicole fall more in love with her at the same time. 

Not for the first time Nicole thought about what their future was going to look like once they moved into Waverly’s home and beyond. She couldn’t get the image of the two of them growing old together out of her mind, tackling the hurdles that raising a daughter far too smart for her own good was inevitably going to produce. In that moment, one hand on the small of Waverly’s back and one hand cupping the cheek of her daughter she knew she had to start shopping for something important. Probably doing so the next town over or else there was no way she would be able to keep it a surprise. She never thought she was ever going to ask someone to marry her again, told herself countless times that she never wanted to put her heart on the line like that ever again but then she never thought she was going to meet someone like Waverly Earp. 

“I love you.” Nicole leaned in to whisper into Waverly’s ear as she hummed softly into Amelia’s, the girl starting to calm down a little as she did so. Waverly turned to grin at Nicole mouthing back her reply as she noticed Amelia starting to drift off to sleep. Waverly put her down in her bed to finish her nap, whispering about how much she couldn’t wait until they were all living in the same house and Amelia could decorate her room however she wanted. She talked a lot about wanting to paint her walls a different colour but being a rental Nicole couldn’t give in to her daughter’s request. Nicole had told Waverly about Shae’s plans to stay in Germany after the two had left for breakfast that morning and she was ecstatic, she knew it was what Nicole ultimately wanted but she also listened to Nicole’s worries about Shae being so far away for the majority of the time. Waverly tried to lessen her worries by reminding her that Amelia had family here now too. Waverly also told Nicole that it just gave them a reason to visit Europe, if Amelia was going to be spending summers with Shae. Nicole liked that idea, travelling with Waverly would be a dream come true. 

Nicole had her jacket and shoes on when Waverly made it back through to the living room, she gave her a puzzled look as Nicole was pacing back and forth a little. 

“I’m going to see Nedley, Lonnie said pretty much everyone has visited him since he woke up except me…don’t really need that guilt on top of what I’ve already got going on!” Nicole let out a forced laugh as she fiddled with the keys to her cruiser, having stopped pacing to look at Waverly. Waverly took the couple steps forward to eliminate the space between them and set her hands on Nicole’s shoulders, squeezing them in a sign of support. “I shouldn’t be gone long but there’s plenty food in the fridge if Amelia needs dinner before I get back.” 

“He’s going to be happy to see you, Nicole!” Waverly smiled, she had tried time and time again to assure Nicole that her guilt was unnecessary, that Randy, whom she had known her entire life, would never blame Nicole for what happened. He may come off as a hard ass but she knew the real Nedley, the father of one of her best friends growing up, who she had witnessed time and time again being a better man than her own father a million times. Although that wasn’t hard to be but Waverly knew it was likely that he would be more concerned with how Nicole was healing up if anyone had told him yet that she had also been shot. “Take all the time you need, I can tell Gus I’ll be coming in late.”

“I forgot you had the closing shift tonight, sorry.” Nicole’s mind had been preoccupied with everything else going on that Waverly’s shift had completely slipped her mind. “I can be back before six, you don’t need to…” 

“Don’t worry about it, Gus will understand. You need to see him!” Waverly tapped Nicole’s shoulders once and tilted her head with a smile, hoping that Nicole would return it. She knew that Nicole would feel bad putting Gus out but if she did mind Waverly would be the one dealing with it not Nicole. She placed a gentle kiss to Nicole’s lips before ushering her out the door, she didn’t want her putting this off any longer. The sooner she saw he was recovering well, the sooner she would forget all about blaming herself. 

***

“Hi Sheriff…” Nicole was standing in the doorway to Nedley’s room, not quite ready to cross the threshold. Her hands were deep in her pockets. She felt like a little kid again, waiting for her parents to scold her after they had caught her doing something she shouldn’t have been. On her way in she spotted Lawrence and Anderson on their way out, which now meant that she was in fact the last person from the station to come and see Nedley after he had woken up. 

“Haught!” Nedley sat up slowly in his bed, he looked pale and slightly emaciated but a damn sight better than when she had been in to see him last. Most of the tubes were gone, just a couple left measuring his vitals and providing him with fluids. Nicole hadn’t been prepared for the smile that he welcomed her with and without thinking she took the steps necessary to reach his bedside and sat down in the chair set out for visitors. 

“How are you feeling?” Nicole wanted to reach out, touch his arm or his hand, anything to let herself know that this was real and he was awake. The question was redundant, she already knew the answer. She had asked Lonnie to tell her everything he had said, just in case she couldn’t pluck up the nerve to get herself here today. 

“Tired funnily enough, considering I’ve just had the longest nap of my life!” Nedley laughed and it warmed Nicole’s entire body, she could feel the faintest hint of happy tears itching the corners of her eyes but she laughed along with him through it. “How’s your chest? Last thing I remember is seeing you hit…everyone told me you were fine but I’m glad I get to see it for myself.” He looked at Nicole with such concern and she caved then, leaning forward and taking hold of his hand. It was calloused and wrinkled, the way she imagined her fathers hand would be now after all these years. He took a second to return the grip that Nicole was giving, when he did his smile came back as well. 

“I’m good… feeling a little guilty still but physically I’m back to normal now.” Nicole ducked her head, she hadn’t admitted it out loud to anyone other than Waverly and it brought every sinking feeling back all at once. 

“What on earth have you got to feel guilty about, Haught?” He squeezed her hand and she pulled it back to sit on her lap, she brought her hands together and cracked her knuckles before looking back at him. 

“The bullet, it…it was meant for me…” 

“Nicole…” Nedley rarely used her first name, in fact he had only done so once when they met for the very first time while she was still in the academy. It brought her out of her head and she waited for him to speak, listening intently. “If you think for a moment that I would rather it had been you laying in this hospital bed all this time, you are out of your mind! I’m your Sheriff and I would rather take a bullet for every single one of my deputies than let anything happen to them!” 

“Still…I’m sorry.” Nicole gave him a small smile which he returned with a nod. 

“Now what’s this I hear about some FBI guy coming in and taking over this investigation?” Nedley face grew a little more stern and Nicole knew that she would be the one getting this questioning when Lonnie mentioned nothing about it and it wasn’t surprising. The other officers hadn’t been given more information than they needed but they all knew Nicole was working the investigation, Dolls was a little paranoid that anyone could be under Bobo’s thumb and Nicole couldn’t blame him. They all had families, all had people they cared about and he could have threatened any number of them if he wanted to. Not all of them may have had the nerve, like Nicole had, to turn down whatever offer he had given them. 

Nicole started from the top, if there was anyone she trusted in Purgatory, more than Waverly, it was Nedley and there was no way she was leaving without letting him know what they were dealing with in town. Dolls could reprimand her all he wanted, Nedley deserved to know what was going on. Once she finished with what they knew for certain she started asking questions that maybe only he would know the answer to. The warrant for a phone tap on Mike Wilson had only come through that morning, Dolls had text her to let her know it was happening but had yet to send anything else so she assumed nothing useful had come up as of yet and she wanted to know if Nedley knew anything more about him than the information on his record. Which really amounted to nothing. Nedley grew up with Mike, they were only a couple years a part in age and he remembers him moving away for nearly a decade when they were both in their late thirties before deciding that Purgatory was where he belonged. He could have been doing anything in that time sure but Nedley didn’t have any suspicions about him which irked Nicole, there had to be something up with him for him to do any sort of work for Bobo’s men and by extension Bobo himself. 

“I can’t believe this has been going on here and we didn’t even notice it…do you have any idea how long Bobo might have been using Purgatory to clean his money?” Nedley was visibly agitated and Nicole could hear his heart monitor pick up at different times during her recounting of the case findings so far. Nicole explained what Waverly had discovered, that the purchases under Bobo’s aliases had mostly been made in the last ten years and Nedley just couldn’t understand how that could have happened without someone in town on his side. He understood then why Nicole looked so frustrated when he said Mike wasn’t suspicious, maybe that had been the whole point of him. “Part of me is sad that I won’t be the one to help you two take him down, he sounds like a real piece of work but I’ve full faith that you’ll be able to handle this when you’re in charge.” 

“Uh…” Nicole was frozen in place, her words failing her, had he just said she was going to be in charge. Nedley was puzzled by the confused look on her face. 

“What? None of the boys told you?!” Nedley let out a sarcastic laugh and shook his head. “Figures they would pick now to be tight lipped about something I’ve said!” 

“Sheriff?” 

“I’m stepping down, I might be out of the woods but I don’t think I can handle going back…you’re my choice as a replacement, always have been since you took my job offer. Just didn’t think it was going to be so soon…” Nedley’s face was deadly serious but Nicole couldn’t help looking around to check that she wasn’t on some sort of prank show. Was this actually happening? Nedley wanted her to become Sheriff?

“You’re serious right now?” Nicole had to close her eyes and shake her head a little, she was about ready to pinch herself to make sure that this wasn’t a dream. This was her dream job…but she was so new, so ill prepared to take over from a man that the whole damn town adored. 

“I am, I know you’re still basically a rookie and you’ve got a lot to learn but by god if you’re not already better than half these jokers who’ve been at this for years. You’re a fast learner and the town already loves you…you’re going to do great kiddo.” Nedley reached forward and patted Nicole’s hand that was resting on the side of his bed with a smile, he looked about ready to drift off to sleep. She hadn't realised how long they had been talking until she caught sight of the clock on the wall.

“Thank you…I don’t even know what to say!” Nicole was still a little dumbstruck, she thanked him again as she stood to make her exit in a daze. She couldn’t believe none of the others had told her about this if they knew, she hoped it was because they wanted Nedley to be the one to tell her and not because they were unhappy with the prospect. She figured only time would tell. 

When she returned home, just a little later than she had hoped to, Waverly and Amelia were huddled up on the couch with a book between them. Waverly pointing at random words on the page and Amelia attempting to get each one right, it wasn’t the first time Nicole had seen them doing so and she hoped she would never tire of it. Waverly apologised to Amelia for having to leave for work and missing her bed time story but she promised the next night they would do two to make up for it. Nicole would of course read to her tonight but it wasn’t the same, Nicole couldn’t do all the voices and the expressions that made Amelia love Waverly reading to her so much. 

“How was he?” Waverly pulled Nicole into a quick hug after she had pulled her coat on. She had told Gus she’d be late but she didn’t want to push her luck by hanging around too much longer before heading in. 

“Good, he looks weak but he’s good!” Nicole shrugged a little as she smiled, she wanted to tell Waverly everything about what Nedley had said. She was going to be Sheriff and that was cause for celebration but Waverly needed to leave for work, she would tell her when they had real time to celebrate.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sheriff Haught!!!


	14. Chapter 14

“I promise this is the last box Wynonna, you can crack open a beer in less than five minutes!” Waverly yelled from the back of Nicole’s car, rolling her eyes at Wynonna’s constant moaning. It had only taken two trips with Waverly’s jeep and Nicole’s car to get all of her and Amelia’s things to Earp residence but Wynonna was determined to act like Waverly had ruined her entire day. 

“You said that three boxes ago!” Wynonna huffed from the doorway before trudging down the steps to take the box from Waverly’s arms. 

“Yeah well, I was lying then…I’m not now!” Waverly laughed picking up the final box from the backseat of her jeep and closing the door with her hip. “Also you said Doc was going to help…” It had been a group effort getting all their stuff packed away and moved out, even Amelia managed to pull her weight but Doc had been AWOL for the whole day. 

“We kind of had a fight…don’t want to talk about it so don’t even try.” Wynonna called over her shoulder as she kicked the front door open, leaving yet another boot print on it. All of the boxes that were marked ‘bedroom’ had already been brought upstairs, Nicole and Amelia unpacking those while Waverly and Wynonna took care of the rest. Nicole had a beautiful set of pots and pans that Waverly couldn’t wait to replace her crappy old set with, that was probably older than both her and Wynonna combined. There had also been a tense conversation about whether Nicole’s much newer, much bigger television should go into the living room or if Nicole and Waverly would treat themselves to having it up in their bedroom. After twenty minutes of Wynonna pouting like a child they decided it wasn’t worth the hassle and it would go into the living room. 

Leaving Wynonna to set up the TV in the living room with a beer, Waverly began unboxing the remaining boxes downstairs. Nicole only had one last day off work before she would start as Sheriff and Waverly could not have been prouder. When Nicole had told her after she called to say she was leaving work a few days ago, she made a quick stop on the way back to Nicole’s place for a bottle of champagne. Nicole had got her dream job and they were moving in together, it definitely called for celebration. Thankful that Amelia was down for the count, they drank the entire bottle as they lay entwined on the couch and Waverly helped Nicole celebrate what was definitely a well earned promotion. It wasn’t until much much later, both a little tipsy and completely out of breath that they realised they had planned to start boxing up some of Nicole’s things that night in preparation for the move. 

Luckily what with Nicole’s place being a rental, most of the furniture had come with the place and so they hadn’t needed to worry about lugging couches or beds across town. So when they actually got round to packing things up the following evening, it hadn’t taken them long at all. Nicole did mention in passing however, that she would miss her recliner and Waverly started figuring out a way to rearrange the furniture in the living room so they could fit one in there. Waverly home, _their_ home had been where she had grown up so she wanted to add some new touches that would make Nicole know that it was now as much her and Amelia’s as it was Waverly’s and Wynonna’s. 

When Waverly was flattening down the last empty box she heard tires coming down the driveway and took a quick peek out the window to see Gus pulling up to the house. She had promised to bring everyone take-out by way of apology for not being able to help with the move. Loaded down with a couple bags, she made her way to the front door as Waverly stood in the entrance smiling at her aunt’s constant need to order or cook way more food than actually necessary. 

“You know you didn’t have to do this, Gus!” Waverly sighed as she took one of the bags from her and walked through to the kitchen. Wynonna followed quickly behind, beckoned by the aroma of Chinese food. She felt bad that Gus wouldn’t accept any money whatsoever towards the meal from Nicole or Waverly. 

“Nonsense, consider it a house warming present…I never did get you anything when you moved back out here.” Gus placed a firm hand on Waverly’s shoulder and smiled. While it had been Waverly’s choice to move back to the house she grow up in, Gus always felt like the she had forced her into it. Even though Waverly insisted if she didn’t want to move back, she would have taken the apartment above Shorty’s that had been empty for years. 

Nicole and Amelia came down the stairs and into the kitchen, Nicole a little sweaty from all the unpacking and absolutely starving. Waverly got everyone to sit down at the table while she fetched plates and cutlery for everyone, she wasn’t having anyone eating out of the boxes for their first meal together in their new home. Wynonna grabbed a couple more beers out the fridge handing one off to Nicole and then placed one down in front of Gus and Waverly’s chair before grabbing boxes out of the bags and distributing them around the table. 

“Thank you!” Nicole beamed as she held the cold beer against her forehead before bringing it down towards her neck. Droplets of condensation dripped off the bottle onto her skin, weaving a slow path down between her slightly exposed chest. Waverly stood a little flustered as she watched the display, thankful for Nicole’s choice in moving attire. She only snapped out of it when Wynonna stood and grabbed the plates from her hands with an overdramatic eye roll. 

“I may have to move out to the barn living with these two…” Wynonna laughed to herself as she sat back down, Gus playfully slapped her arm and Amelia giggled from across the table. Wynonna leaned over to fake whisper to Amelia. “You and me, we gotta be on the same team from now on, ok kiddo?” 

“Ok!” Amelia nodded her head firmly and Wynonna held out her fist for the little girl to bump it, both of them pulling it back mimicking an explosion as they did so. Nicole and Waverly exchanged a worried look, looked like they would be sharing the house with two children. 

They ate their dinner conversing about the goings on in town. Gus talked about how glad she was to have the night off from Shorty’s, even if she did need to go back and count the takings at the end of the night. She was just happy to be spending an evening with her girls, which now included Nicole and Amelia too. All these fights breaking out at her establishment wasn’t exactly hurting business but it wasn’t doing it any good either. People were leaving earlier than normal, drinking a little less to make sure they had their wits about them if anything were to go down and Gus did look a little more stressed than normal. Nicole promised to increase the amount of deputies that would drop by when she could spare them, Gus lay her hand over Nicole’s and thanked her. Nicole couldn’t wait to start feeling like she was really making a difference in Purgatory after all this crap with Del Rey was put behind them. Waverly noticed that Gus looked like she wanted to say something else to the table but the words died on her tongue as Wynonna asked if anyone wanted another beer. Waverly quickly agreed to another for her and Nicole, while Gus declined as she needed to be fit to drive back home. Wynonna made some passing comment about how Gus didn’t need to be so responsible just cause the Sheriff was around, she threw Nicole a wink over her shoulder as she dove back into the fridge to make sure she knew it was just a joke. Nicole wasn’t entirely sure that it actually was but getting into the dangers of drunk driving was not how she wanted to spend the night so she simply smiled brightly at Wynonna and ignored the urge. 

Amelia needed to be getting to bed but she pleaded with her mother to let her stay up just a little longer, when they said they were going to watch a movie after they had finished eating and cleared everything away. Nicole relented but only because she knew Amelia was likely so tired from the move that she’d fall asleep about ten minutes in anyway. Right on cue, tiny snores filled the living room as they were just getting past the opening credits and Nicole took her daughter in arms and made her way up the stairs. 

“So now you’re living together is she going to ask you to marry her?” Gus leaned in close to Waverly after she was sure Nicole was out of ear shot, with a giant smile on her face. 

“Gus…” Waverly pleaded, this had quickly become an incessant line of questioning from her aunt and while she really did love that Gus was so supportive of her relationship it was becoming something she dreaded every time they spent time together. Waverly understood, to a point, why Gus was like this with Nicole when she had never once asked Waverly if she thought Champ was going to propose. The only thing Gus would say about Champ was not to let him knock her up and the first time Gus talked to her about safe sex she genuinely thought she was going to die from embarrassment. “This is seriously the last time you are allowed to ask me about Nicole proposing!” 

“Who’s proposing?” Wynonna chimed in from the arm chair on the other side of the room, Waverly had not been as careful as Gus at keeping her voice low. 

“I just want to know when Nicole is going to propose to Waverly…back in my day you didn’t move in with someone until you were already engaged to be married!” Gus slunk back in her seat a little defeated, she didn’t realise her questioning had become so bothersome to Waverly. 

“Y’know Gus, Waverly could propose to her if she wanted to?” Wynonna teased, wiggling her eyebrows at Waverly. 

“No one is proposing!” Waverly groaned, closing her eyes and letting her head fall back onto the back of the couch. Slender arms snaked around her neck and she could feel Nicole breathe on the side of her face just before a gentle kiss was placed onto her cheek. Waverly’s eyes shot open just in time to see Wynonna and Gus turn to stare at the television as if they hadn’t just been talking about Nicole. And proposing. Which she almost definitely would have heard. 

“Well, not tonight anyway…” Nicole whispered into Waverly’s ear and she felt her heart skip a beat. Yup, definitely heard it. Another kiss to her cheek and she looked around to see if the other two had heard her, if they had they weren’t showing any signs of it. Nicole kept an arm draped over Waverly’s shoulder as she made her way round the couch to sit next to her. Waverly wanted to say something, this was now the second time that Nicole had caught her off guard on this particular subject but all she could do was smile as Nicole snuggled in closer. Neither of them paid much attention to the rest of the movie as Nicole traced minute patterns over the back of Waverly’s hands, occasionally spending a little longer resting on her ring finger. Waverly’s breathe caught in her throat every single time. 

When the movie ended, Waverly was brought back to reality by Gus announcing she was leaving, there was just under two hours left until Shorty’s closed and according to the staff she had on, it had been a pleasant shift so far without a single one of Bobo’s guys showing up. She figured she could let them go a little early and Wynonna grabbed her coat as she asked for a ride into town. She wasn’t quite ready to call it a night just yet and she could tell Waverly and Nicole were more than ready to head off to bed if the heart eyes they had been exchanging all throughout the movie were any indication. 

“You’ll find a ride home?” Waverly asked as they both made their way to the door. “Someone sober please!” It was well into winter now, there hadn’t been any snow yet but that didn’t mean the road weren’t still icy in the early hours and while Waverly didn’t remember the accident that killed her mother and sister, she remembers vividly being told about it when she was a little older. She could never bring herself to drive in the snow. 

“Promise, babygirl!” Wynonna pulled her in for a hug recognising where her concern had come from before heading off to Gus’s car. Waverly gave Gus a kiss on the cheek, thanked her for dinner and said goodbye as she followed after Wynonna. Gus looked back at Waverly and Nicole standing together in the doorway, barely paying attention to the two that had just left the house anymore, as she unlocked the door and smiled to herself. She knew Nicole was a good egg but spending the evening with her and seeing how she interacted with not only Waverly but with Wynonna she knew that she would fit perfectly into their family. 

***

 

Taking over from Randy Nedley was no easy task for Nicole. Her initial fears of the other officers, who had all been in the job a lot longer than her, being pissed at her getting the promotion were unfounded but that didn’t make it any easier to take over from a man who had been doing the job for close to fifteen years. He did things a certain way, a way that Nicole took a week to wrap her head around until she decided she really didn’t like it and was going to do an overhaul eventually. She thought her ability to assist Dolls in his investigation would only increase when she took over her new position and was able to assign jobs where she wanted but something that Nedley failed to mention about being Sheriff was that there was a hell of a lot more people pleasing than there was actual police work. Seemed everyone in Purgatory wanted to talk to the Sheriff about their problems, how she was going to fix them. The deputies, _her_ deputies, coming to her with issues that she would have dealt with herself when she was in their position. How Lonnie didn’t know which form to fill out for a missing pet, when he’d been on the force for so long, astounded Nicole. She had been in total shock when Nedley told her she would be taking over but now she knew she was really the only option he had. They were good officers overall but none of them had the wherewithal to actually be Sheriff. 

She did do her best to use any spare time she had while in the station to pop in to see Dolls and check up with the progress though. Mike had been receiving a growing number of calls from Bobo’s men, all of which were brief conversations about where to meet, never at the same place twice and in a town as small as Purgatory that was hard. Dolls had been observing as many as he could, taking photographic evidence of their encounters and he thought he would be ready soon to confront Mike and break him, get him to divulge anything and everything he knew about Bobo’s operation in town. Dolls had to pick the right time though, he couldn’t bring him in before he was sure whatever information he would be given was enough or that Bobo or his men wouldn’t figure out that Mike had flipped on them and get rid of him before he had a chance to testify. Dolls couldn’t start the ball rolling on protective custody until he knew what Mike knew, if it was inconsequential and he promised protection, his superiors would not be happy. 

Nicole made good on her promise to provide more officers passing through Shorty’s and Gus sent what seemed like a whole buffets worth of food down to the station one evening to thank everybody for doing their part. There hadn’t been a fight inside or outside the bar in a week and business was slowing picking up again. Waverly hand delivered Nicole’s meal to her office, of course, to make sure she got exactly what she wanted before the vultures descended on it. 

“It’s still weird seeing you sitting behind a desk in your _own_ office…” Waverly smiled from the doorway taking Nicole by surprise, Nicole made a habit of leaving her door open when she could so that she could hear everything going on out in the bullpen and so they knew she could as well. This wasn’t the first time that Waverly had a chance to pop by the station since she moved into the office and either she didn’t know that or she didn’t care because she closed the door behind her before setting the container of food down in front of Nicole. “It’s so official… _Sheriff!_ ” Waverly had a glint of something in her eye that Nicole was trying very hard to ignore, she did not want to be distracted…maybe she did but she shouldn’t. Waverly walked around the desk and perched herself right on the edge inches away from Nicole. As soon as she set down her pen she decided those inches were just too much distance. 

“Hey, baby.” Nicole immediately decided she would allow herself a grand total of four minutes distraction before she got back to work, she could eat her food while she dealt with the insane amount of paper work that being Sheriff came with. She leaned forward and kissed Waverly, pulling her onto her lap as she did so. Waverly giggled and she wrapped her arms around Nicole’s neck, deepening the kiss. Nicole’s hands wandered over Waverly’s thighs before gripping them and pulling her as close as she could at that angle. Ever since the night she moved into Waverly’s house, _their_ house, something had shifted between them. Waverly had become absolutely insatiable, not that they weren’t all over each other whenever they could be before but it was different now. Nicole wasn’t sure what had done it, the fact that they were living together now, the not so sly reference to her wanting to propose at some point or the fact that Nicole was a little busier now so whenever they had a moment together Waverly did not want to waste it. 

Waverly knew exactly why she was feeling the way she was but she had yet to verbalise it to Nicole and she wasn’t sure why. There had always been a small part of her waiting for Nicole to decide to leave Purgatory. After her work with Dolls was over and the excitement of working on such a big investigation died down or after she realised that living in a small town just wasn’t to her liking or just deciding that Waverly wasn’t enough to stay in such a small place when she could literally go anywhere. It didn’t matter that Nicole had told her time and time again just how much she meant to her, Waverly couldn’t get rid of that voice in the back of her head. Not until Nicole had properly, officially moved in with her, made another remark about proposing and had accepted the job as Sheriff. She was putting down roots in Purgatory and not just with Waverly, in the rest of her life too. All of her worries, her insecurities about not being enough for Nicole or Amelia literally washed away. Nicole was here to stay and it just did something to Waverly. 

“What time do you finish?” Waverly asked breathlessly between kisses, Amelia was with Gus at Shorty’s after Waverly had nipped out to pick her up from school during her break and she silently hoped that Nicole would finish past her bedtime so the moment she was home they would have time to themselves. Doc hadn’t been around the house or Wynonna lately, maybe they were still fighting but apparently she had something else to keep her attention for the time being and Waverly figured she would be out of the house until the early hours. 

“I should be out of here by eight.” Nicole let out a staggered breath as Waverly’s hand travelled underneath her uniform shirt, fingers tickling her stomach with a playful grin on her face. 

“Perfect!” Waverly brushed her lips over Nicole’s for a torturous couple of seconds before connecting them. Almost as quickly as she had brought them together she pulled back and jumped up from Nicole’s lap, Nicole’s brain needing a moment to catch up to what just happened. 

“Y-your leaving?” She glanced at the clock, she still had a good minute left on her own allotted distraction time. 

“I am…but I will see you when you get home _and_ I have a surprise for you!” Waverly licked her lips and the grin was back accompanied by a wink, Nicole huffed behind her desk and started counting down the seconds until she could leave. 

Gus let Amelia pick whatever she wanted on or off the menu for dinner and Waverly walked back in from the station to see her face, hands and shirt absolutely covered in red pasta sauce. Gus mouthed an apology to Waverly from behind the bar but she was in such a good mood, she really couldn’t care. She managed to clean most of it off before they headed home, in the hopes of saving the interior of her car from looking like a murder scene and after ten minutes of bargaining, managed to convince Amelia to take a bath before bed. Amelia was an excellent negotiator or Waverly was just a pushover either way the compromise consisted of three stories before bed. Amelia only managed to make it through two before she was out like a light and Waverly untangled herself from the little but somehow remarkably strong arms before turning off the bedside lamp and plugging in the nightlight. 

She checked her watch, she had roughly half an hour before Nicole would be home, if she got out when she hoped she would. She fired a quick text to Wynonna double checking that she was out for the evening, after getting confirmation she hopped in the shower. Waverly felt electric, she had never done something like this for anyone before. She dried her hair, got dressed and wrapped a dressing gown around herself to keep warm before heading downstairs. She wrote a quick note to Nicole and stuck it on the outside of the front door. Now all she had to do was wait. 

Nicole pulled up outside the house just a little later than she had hoped, she had been right on track to leave the station on time, handover to nightshift complete, until Dolls had called into her office with an update. Yet another meeting between Mike and one of Bobo’s men would be taking place the following day and he wanted Nicole to come along with him. They arranged to meet outside the station at five pm the following afternoon before heading to the rendezvous location together, luckily Dolls was not one for small talk so once the plan had been made he excused himself and Nicole was able to leave. Christmas was just over a week away and Nicole still hadn’t asked Dolls if he wanted to join them, he hadn’t mentioned anything about leaving town for the holidays or anything about family ever so she hoped he would say yes. She scribbled down a note before closing up her office for the night to remind herself to ask him the following day on their stakeout. 

She had almost forgotten about Waverly’s aforementioned surprise until she saw a note taped to the front door with her name on it in Waverly’s handwriting above a love heart. 

_Come upstairs, I’m waiting!_

Nicole smiled tucking the note into her back pocket as she unlocked the front door, closed and locked it again. The smile not leaving her face as she made her way up the stairs to their bedroom, if nights with Waverly lately were anything to go by, Nicole was absolutely going to love her surprise. She was not however adequately prepared for what she opened the bedroom door to find. 

Waverly heard Nicole’s cruiser pulling up outside the house and she put the final touches into place for their evening. She lit a bunch of candles on the dresser, probably way more than really necessary and she hoped what she had planned would distract Nicole from any possible warnings about fire safety in the home. She did one more check of herself in the mirror after discarding her dressing gown and nodding, confident that she looked good. Hearing Nicole coming up the stairs, Waverly realised she hadn’t thought about where she wanted to be when Nicole entered. Should she lay on the bed, sit on the edge, stand in the middle of the room? She spun around in a circle as she wracked her brain for where she thought would be best but it was too late and Nicole was turning the door handle so standing waiting in the middle of the room was her only option. She placed a hand on her hip and took a deep breath. 

Nicole stood, mouth agape as she took in the view in front of her. Waverly standing, lit only by candlelight, in a matching black lace bra and garter get up with sheer stockings. Nicole swallowed hard, closing the door behind her without taking her eyes off of Waverly. Her mouth was totally dry and every single item of her own clothing instantly felt claustrophobic. 

“Nicole?” Waverly said shyly, Nicole hadn’t uttered a word since she came into the room and Waverly was really hoping that was a good thing but she was starting to feel the tiniest bit exposed. Nicole’s eyes were focused somewhere other than Waverly’s face until she spoke and Waverly could instantly see the realisation there when they finally caught each others eye, that she hadn’t said anything yet. 

“Wow…” Nicole started to close the gap between them, she wanted to say more but her mouth was not responding to everything that was running through her brain at that moment. She reached forward and placed her hands on Waverly’s hips, torn between admiring her for longer and pulling Waverly flush against herself. 

“I wasn’t sure if this would be your thing…” Waverly ducked her head and Nicole could see the smallest hints of a blush on her cheeks. Nicole let one hand slide off Waverly’s hip and used her index finger to raise Waverly’s chin so they were looking into each others eyes. 

“This is absolutely my thing!” Nicole laughed as she bent down and kissed Waverly, deep and wanton. Nicole’s words reignited the passion that had lead Waverly to do this in the first place and she quickly started trying to get Nicole out of her uniform. Nicole immediately started helping, undoing her belt and slipping out of her trousers as Waverly took care of her shirt buttons, never breaking their kiss for more than a couple seconds to get some air. Nicole cursed herself for wearing such an ordinary set of underwear that day faced with this piece of absolute glory adorning Waverly’s form. 

With Waverly’s hands behind Nicole’s neck they moved towards the bed, Nicole placed Waverly down gently before leaning back and taking it all in again. Everything about Waverly was beautiful no matter what she wore but this was simply something else, it accentuated everything so perfectly it was almost a shame that all Nicole wanted to do was get her out of it. A little huff from Waverly told her that she had been looking and not touching for too long so she made her way back, kissing every inch of exposed skin she could find before meeting Waverly’s lips again. Nicole slowly began removing lace from Waverly’s body, she wanted to draw this out and by the steady shallow breaths that were coming from the woman beneath her she knew it felt like torture. 

“Baby…please!” Waverly moaned, she couldn’t stand it, the way Nicole’s fingers were so unhurriedly removing the garments. Nicole just smiled down at her and Waverly thought two could play at that game so wrapping her legs tightly around Nicole’s waist she used her strength to flip them over. Now straddling her hips, Waverly smirked down at Nicole who was now totally and completely flustered. If Nicole wasn’t going to move this along at any speed then Waverly would, grinding down into her she removed Nicole’s bra and went straight for her nipple. Pulling it slowly into her mouth as soft moans filled the air. Nicole’s hands found their way to the garter holding Waverly’s stocking and undid the clasp. Finally, Waverly was getting somewhere. Loosening her thighs from around Nicole and lifting herself just enough for the panties to be pulled down by hands working a lot faster now. Finally she was free of the obstacles, no matter how good Waverly knew she looked in them, she wanted to be able to feel Nicole’s hands all over her and it was heaven. 

Crashing their lips together hungrily, Nicole shifted their positions. She loved seeing Waverly on top of her like that but right now she wanted something else, she wanted… _needed_ to taste Waverly. She dragged her lips slowly down Waverly’s torso, the scent of how badly she was needed struck her and she let her tongue make the remaining journey to her destination, muscles tensing beautifully underneath as she inched closer. A sharp gasp erupted from Waverly when she began teasing at her entrance and as much as she wanted to continue her slow torture, the fingernails working into her scalp told her she may not be forgiven if she did. 

Waverly felt like she was falling when she comes only to be caught quickly by Nicole, easing her into another before Waverly is too sensitive for more attention straight away. She could feel how much Nicole needed a release as well so she relishes every motion until Nicole is right there with her. Waverly loses count after a while of how many times either of them have been brought to orgasm and absolutely exhausted she collapses face first into her pillow, Nicole wrapping her arms around her and leaving a trail of sweet kisses on her back and across her shoulders. The candles on the dresser have long burnt out and although they are laying in almost complete darkness, Waverly has never seen things so clearly in her entire life. She’s thought about it ever since Gus started questioning her and Nicole had been pretty obvious about the fact she’d been thinking about it too but in that moment she knew, she knew that she was without a doubt going to marry Nicole one day. 

“Can I ask you something?” Nicole asked as she was still peppering kisses to Waverly’s back every now and again, noting the slight saltiness of her skin mixed with the coconut shower gel she had obviously used earlier. 

“Anything…” Waverly sighed, she was still stuck face down in the pillow so it came out a little muted but she turned her head in preparation to answer the question more coherently. 

“Not that I’m not totally on board with us seemingly kicking our sex life up about twelve notches but is there a reason behind it?” Nicole moved herself onto the pillow next to Waverly, eyes finally adjusted to the dark room and she wanted to look into Waverly eyes when she got her answer. 

“You’re staying.” Waverly said matter-of-factly but Nicole was a little confused, her face obviously showing so and Waverly elaborated. “Like you’re really staying…you’ve moved in, you’ve got a job you’ve always wanted…part of me always thought you might move on from Purgatory…and me eventually.” 

“But not now?” Nicole asked hopefully and Waverly shook her head with a smile. Nicole leaned closer and kissed her before pulling away with a soft laugh. “Wait and that made you like _super_ horny?” 

“Hey!” Waverly gently slapped at her arm as best she could in the position she was in. “Don’t be mean! You love it!” 

“I love _you_ !” Nicole kissed her again and Waverly slowly draped herself over Nicole’s body, settling into their usual sleeping position. She could hear a car pulling up the driveway and then Wynonna’s hushed voice outside as she opened the front door, she was pretty sure she could hear the bassy tones of a mans voice with her once she had come inside. Maybe her and Doc had finally made up. She still hadn’t managed to get Wynonna to talk about whatever it was they fought over and maybe now she wouldn’t have to force it out of her.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So I have finished writing what I originally had planned for this fic, it's currently sitting at 20 chapters and an epilogue of sorts. I may end up sticking two of those chapters together but I'm still deciding on that, either way there will be at least 5 more chapters put up after this one and then I may carry on in the future with little scenes here and there. 
> 
> On another note, I have started a High School AU (yes, I know everyone wants another one of those) which I'm looking forward to posting once I've posted the rest of this fic. I am however struggling big time coming up with a title so if anyone wants brainstorm ideas with me, hit me up on tumblr - brokenlight.tumblr.com


	15. Chapter 15

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I think I'm going to put up a new chapter each day for the next three days, just before my family madness kicks in for Christmas and yes there is a Christmas chapter for this fic so I'd like to get that up before the 25th.  
> Enjoy!

Waverly woke to the sound of the front door closing and a car driving away, for a moment she feared Nicole had left for work without waking her up to say goodbye but then realised arms were still wrapped around her. It must have been Doc. She could tell Nicole was already awake by her breathing and she loved that whenever she woke up before her now she would wait until Waverly was awake before moving unless she absolutely had to. 

“Good morning.” Waverly sighed into Nicole’s still bare chest, it had been a little cold during the night and Nicole had grabbed an extra couple of blankets from the closet instead of putting on any clothing. Waverly was very thankful for that as she slipped her thigh between Nicole’s legs and pushed herself forward to briefly kiss her good morning. 

“Mmm, good morning to you too!” Nicole moaned softly, pulling Waverly even closer, also pleased that she hadn’t decided to put any barriers between their bare bodies during the night. “Sleep well?” 

“Mmmhmm…” Waverly slowly rocked herself forward and backwards a couple times, taking in the gentle moans from Nicole before leaning in for a longer, deeper kiss. “You’re breathe is terrible…” Waverly laughed after their lips parted before kissing her again anyway. 

“Yeah well someone surprised me and I didn’t exactly have the energy to brush my teeth after!” Nicole held open her mouth and breathed hard onto Waverly’s face earning her a gentle tap on the nose from Waverly’s fingers as they both dissolved into laughter. Waverly went back to focusing on her thigh between Nicole’s legs, Nicole hadn’t been entirely wrong when she had said the fact Nicole was staying permanently had made Waverly’s libido a little more enthusiastic than before. She wasn’t certain what time it was but no doubt it was late enough that they would need to get out of bed soon and have Amelia ready for her last day at school before winter break. She doubled her efforts and revelled in the way Nicole’s lip made its way between her teeth as she tried to stifle the volume of her moans. 

“Baby, I’m so…” Nicole gasped between staggered breaths, Waverly loved that she could do this to Nicole with such simple movements sometimes. Nicole threw her head back on the pillow and gripped onto Waverly’s hips harder, her nails digging in just enough to Waverly’s skin that she let out a gentle hiss. “God, I’m gonna…” 

“Hey, Waves!” The door flung open and their eyes landed on Wynonna immediately before pulling the covers up around themselves as quickly as they could. “Shit. Fuck. Shit. I’m sorry!” Wynonna pulled the door closed and continued apologising from the other side. 

“Sorry!” Waverly kissed Nicole quickly before pulling herself out of bed and wrapping herself up in her dressing gown. She made her way to the door opening it just enough so that her face was visible through the gap. “What, Wynonna?” 

“Uhh…Gus called and said she wanted to talk to you about something…you weren’t answering your phone, which now makes a lot of sense…” Wynonna cringed trying not to make eye contact with her little sister who she just saw doing something she really wished she hadn’t. “So yeah…call her back when you can.” With that Wynonna ran down the stairs shaking her head, presumably trying to get rid of the images seared into her eyes. 

“How about you knock next time?!” Waverly called after her before closing the door and reaching for her phone which she left on the dresser. She hadn’t even heard it ring. After Gus answered, she asked if Waverly could come a little early for her shift the next night because she needed to speak to her about something to do with the bar. After saying it would be no problem she turned back to Nicole, who was now pulling some clothes out of the closet. “Hey, what are you doing?” 

“I think the moments gone, babe.” Nicole said flatly, pulling a shirt over her head. “I’m gonna take a shower, Amelia will be up soon or already is!” Waverly pouted as she made her way over to where Nicole was standing, she wrapped her arms around Nicole and sighed into her neck. A hand made its way into Waverly’s hair and started stroking through it slowly, Nicole started to regret getting out of bed with Waverly pressed up against her again. “You could join me? Least there’s a lock on that door!” 

“Y’know, I’m actually surprised that’s the first time she’s walked in on us!” Waverly chuckled as she pulled Nicole towards the bathroom, double checking that the door was locked before they both hopped into the shower. 

Nicole was still sitting on the edge of their bed when Waverly made it out of the bathroom, she was fully dressed and Waverly gave her a questioning look. She had said she was getting out of the shower before Waverly had finished washing her hair because Amelia would be needing her breakfast but she clearly hadn’t been downstairs to deal with that yet. 

“I don’t want to go down there alone…Wynonna is going to make some inappropriate comment, I just know it!” Nicole was twiddling her thumbs, looking a little embarrassed as Waverly got dressed around her. Waverly wanted to tell Nicole that she wouldn’t do that but growing up with Wynonna had just been one inappropriate comment after the other so she was probably right. When Waverly was dressed she grabbed Nicole’s hand and lead them downstairs. Nicole groaning the whole way down the stairs in preparation for whatever Wynonna was about to say.

Both of them were surprised to see Amelia sitting at the table with a plate of toast in front of her and Wynonna leaning back against the counter, watching her eat, with a cup of coffee in hand. Waverly hadn’t noticed when she saw her earlier but Wynonna looked surprisingly alert for how early in the day it was. 

“I can’t really look either of you in the face right now but I’ve got a job interview in like an hour, can I ride along when you take Amelia to school, Nicole?” Wynonna was staring down at her coffee and then out the window, anywhere really except at Nicole or Waverly. Waverly just rolled her eyes, it wasn’t like she had never seen Wynonna doing something _or someone_ she wish she hadn’t, she didn’t quite grasp what Wynonna had said until Nicole had agreed and asked what the job was. 

“Some civilian position down at the station, I think I’ll just be answering calls or whatever. I would have asked you to put in a good word but I figured that’d be pushing it a little considering…” Wynonna finally let her eyes land on Nicole with a shy smile, Nicole knew exactly the position Wynonna was talking about. Agnes, who had probably been in the job longer than Nicole had even been alive, had finally decided to retire but Nicole, not really knowing what exactly she did all day, had said she could hold the interviews for a replacement herself. “Let’s hope Agnes has forgotten about the time I stole all her garden gnomes when I was sixteen!” 

“That woman has the best memory of anyone I’ve ever met but if she’s agreed to giving you an interview, I’d say she’s probably over it!” Nicole shrugged with a smile as she sat down at the table and grabbed a slice of toast from Amelia’s plate with a wink. Amelia giggled and passed her mother the butter. After taking a bite from the stolen piece of toast Nicole turned her head to see why Waverly hadn’t sat down for breakfast yet, she saw Waverly standing in the doorway worrying her lip and staring straight down at the floor. Nicole glanced back at Wynonna who had clocked Waverly’s anxious appearance and was starting to take on the same look. “Am I missing something?” 

“Does this mean…” Waverly looked up at her sister and sighed before folding her arms across her chest. “Does this mean you’re staying? Cause I don’t want to get my hopes up and then you leave, Wynonna. I can’t do that, not again!” Waverly hoped more than anything that Wynonna deciding to get a job meant something, meant that she was home for good or at least for the foreseeable future but she really did not want to put herself through all of that again. Wynonna had promised she was staying when she came back the first time, she stayed all of two months before she left and all Waverly got as a good bye was a note on her bedside table. Wynonna hadn’t made any promises the following times she returned but Waverly’s hopes were always there, she knew it was stupid to think that Wynonna was ever going to change but that didn’t stop Waverly from wanting her to. 

“I don’t know, Waves… for the first time I actually want to stay but I don’t want to make any promises that I might not be able to keep.” Wynonna pushed off the countertop and placed her cup down before making her way over to her sister. Wynonna pulled her into a hug and kissed the side of her head. “I’ve got no plans to leave any time soon, ok? I am seriously considering getting my own place after this morning though…” 

“Shut up!” Waverly laughed as she swatted at a retreating Wynonna. “Does Gus know? About the job?” 

“Not yet, didn’t want to jinx it!” Wynonna admitted as she made her way back to her coffee. “Plus she’d say she’s proud of me and we can’t have that…” 

“She’s always been proud of you, of both of us, ok?” Waverly gave her sister a stern look until she nodded, she knew it wasn’t easy for Wynonna to accept that Gus didn’t see her as the total screw up she saw herself as but maybe she could start getting used to it if Waverly reminded her enough. Wynonna excused herself to get ready and Waverly noticed Nicole had been totally silent during their interaction, sitting down on her lap and stealing a sip of the orange juice she had poured herself she asked if everything was alright. 

“Yeah, I’m good…you’re a great sister, Waves!” Nicole pressed her lips to Waverly’s, she hadn’t wanted to interrupt the moment they were having even if she did want to pass comment that Wynonna had somehow managed to only refer the unfortunate incident earlier twice. She was happy that Wynonna was really thinking about staying this time, even before Nicole met Wynonna she could tell how important she was to Waverly but it did make her miss her own family. Her father’s birthday was coming up, in that weird week between Christmas and New Years, he’d be fifty-five and it would be the ninth year she wouldn’t get to wish him a happy birthday in person. She’d send an email she knew would go unanswered. “Finish your breakfast, sweetie! Can’t have you turning up late to your last day of school!” Nicole leaned around Waverly to speak to her daughter who was downing a glass of milk seemingly in one go. Nicole rolled her eyes. Wynonna was a terrible influence. 

“Are we still doing the Christmas stuff when I get home? And the tree?!” Amelia had been absolutely delighted ever since Waverly mentioned she wanted to get a real tree that year and Amelia and Nicole were going to and pick one from after she finished school today. When Waverly was younger they never really went all out for Christmas, it brought back too many sad memories for Wynonna and Gus but this year Waverly decided that she needed to start making her own traditions with Nicole and Amelia and she couldn’t wait. She’d spent probably far too much money on decorations for around the house, already preordered the turkey she would be attempting to cook on the day and started planning out how she was supposed to sit seven people around her kitchen table to hopefully enjoy it. 

“Of course! It has to be perfect or else Santa might not bring you what you asked for!” Waverly smiled over at Amelia and Nicole let out a little snicker from behind her, when she turned to look at her she could hear Amelia laughing as well. 

“Waverly…I know Santa isn’t real! Mommy told me not to tell anyone in my class but I know the truth!” Amelia nodded her head with a smug smile on her face and Waverly couldn’t help but feel a little disappointed that she wouldn’t get to go through the whole façade with her. She should have known though, girl as smart as Amelia would have figured it out quickly enough. Her shoulders slumped a little and Nicole rubbed her back as she noticed, it had been a little bit of a sad surprise for Nicole when Amelia had announced the previous Christmas that she knew it was just a lie parents told to make their children happy. Nicole didn’t like to think of it as a lie per se but she couldn’t actually fault her daughters logic. 

“Hey, maybe when _we_ have a kid they won’t figure it out quite so quick!” Nicole whispered softly into Waverly’s ear and Waverly turned her head to look at her with wide eyes. 

“ _When?_ ” Waverly asked a little shocked and Nicole just shrugged her shoulders and nodded. Waverly took a couple steadying breaths. “Ok…when.” 

“Ok.” Nicole leaned forward and kissed her softly. “I mean it!” Nicole said and she stood up from the chair taking Waverly with her before placing her back down on the seat with relative ease. Nicole held out her hand for Amelia and they went about getting her things ready to leave, Waverly was going to be alone in the house until they returned with the tree and there was absolutely no way she wasn’t going to be replaying that conversation over and over in her head for the rest of the day. 

“Have a good day and good luck Wynonna!” Waverly called out to the car as her and Amelia made their way to Nicole’s cruiser, Nicole hung back by the door beside Waverly until they were out of ear shot. 

“I’m going on a stake out with Dolls this evening, nothing to worry about but I’ll have to head back into town after we sort the tree.” Nicole kissed Waverly goodbye and then searched her face for any lingering fears that might be there. She was pretty sure that Waverly was handling Nicole being a cop a lot better these days but she kept a watchful eye out for any signs that Waverly was worrying more than she needed to be. 

“Have you invited him to Christmas dinner yet?” 

“Doing it today!” Nicole smiled and kissed her once more before they said their goodbyes and she headed over to her car. 

 

***

 

“Do you always show up this long before they are supposed to meet?” Nicole stretched out her neck, she’d been sitting still in the car for nearly an hour and she had no idea how Dolls managed to do this so often. 

“Can’t afford to miss them.” Dolls shrugged without adding anything else in the way of conversation, he didn’t seem bothered at all by the absolutely mind numbing silence they had been in. Nicole couldn’t stand it. It seemed as good a time as any to ask Dolls what he was doing on Christmas. 

“So…Waverly and I have been talking and we were wondering if you had plans for Christmas and if you maybe wanted to join us for dinner?” Nicole didn’t want to sound too eager, she tried to keep her voice as even as possible but she liked Dolls and she wanted him to feel welcome in Purgatory for as long as he needed to be there. She never saw him talking with anyone unless it was work related and it made Nicole feel a little bad for him. 

“Uh…who’s all going to be there? Just the three of you or?” Dolls didn’t take his eyes away from the storefront that they were watching but Nicole turned to face him, hoping to get any sort of a read on how he was reacting to the invitation. 

“Us three yeah and Waverly’s Aunt Gus, Wynonna and maybe Doc but I don’t really know what’s going on with them at the moment…” Nicole trailed off, she probably shouldn’t be spouting off about Wynonna’s love life to someone that didn’t even know her. “We were going to invite Nedley and his daughter but they are going out of town. I think you’d get along with everyone, don’t know if you’re much of a drinker but Wynonna will no doubt have the place stocked to get about twenty people put in hospital for alcohol poisoning.” Nicole was sure that Dolls mouth twitched a little at Wynonna’s name, maybe it had when she said it before as well but she couldn’t be sure. _Interesting._

“Sounds fun, I’m in but I don’t actually eat meat so I can bring something for myself if you guys are turkey people.” Dolls looked quickly at Nicole before turning back to the storefront. 

“God, no please don’t. Waverly will probably have an aneurism if you do!” Nicole laughed, Waverly had been asking everyone that was coming to dinner for weeks what exactly they wanted to eat so she didn’t miss anyone’s favourite dish. Nicole had found all five of her lists laying about the house, she couldn’t help but smile every time she saw one. It was obvious just how excited Waverly was to be hosting the event at their place, something as simple as Dolls not eating meat would not derail that. “I’ll let her know and we’ll sort something!” 

Before Dolls could protest there was movement on the street and Dolls had his camera ready. Two men were looking around outside the store, up and down the street before they walked inside and the lights came on. Nicole recognised one of them from the diner a while back, the other she had only seen around the trailer park. Dolls quickly wrote down their names in his notepad resting on his legs before turning his attention back to the street. Still no sign of Mike. 

Ten minutes passed without any one else appearing and then an old truck pulled up outside the store and Mike hoped out, the truck blocked most of the view into the store but Dolls was still able to capture him entering the building. Another ten minutes passed and the lights inside went out before all three men walked out before going their separate ways. The last few meetings had taken place out in the open, maybe they were getting more cautious or maybe this exchange really wasn’t able to be held so openly. Dolls had the same thought as Nicole and once Mike pulled away, making sure they left a decent gap between them, they started to follow him. 

He drove for a few minutes before turning down a dimly lit street and parking up. Dolls parked a few cars behind him, enough to hopefully not be noticed and waited. Nicole noted a man walking down the street towards Mike’s truck and grabbed Doll’s camera on a hunch that he was going to stop at it. She was right and after taking a few photos of them talking through Mike’s window, she saw Mike pass over an envelope to the man exactly like the one Waverly had seen him receive in the alley outside Shorty’s. This wasn’t one of Bobo’s men, Nicole was sure of it and as he started walking again a streetlamp illuminated his face clearly. He wasn’t a man at all, he was a kid, well a senior that Nicole had met when she visited the high school in her first official week as Sheriff. A promising senior at that, the principal had introduced him as one of the schools best and brightest. 

Whatever was going on, there were now minors involved and Dolls jumped out the car at Nicole saying as much and headed straight for Mike’s truck, Nicole jumping out and stopping the boy just as he passed by their car. 

“Justin, right?” Nicole called after him, he turned slowly with his hands deep inside the large pocket at the front of his hoodie, where she had seen him put the envelope. His face went white when he recognised her and he looked frozen on the spot. “Mind stepping into the car, Justin?” For a second Nicole thought that he was going to make a run for it but he did not look like an athletically inclined individual and he clearly decided that was not in his best interests so with his head hung he slowly made his way over to the car as Nicole held the back door open for him. 

Up the street she could see Dolls heading back with Mike, he wasn’t in handcuffs but Dolls had a very tight grip on his shoulder. Dolls wouldn’t be happy about taking him in before he felt they had enough evidence but with Justin involved in whatever was going on, they didn’t have a choice. With both of them loaded into the back of the car, they headed back to the station. They didn’t need to speak to each other to know that Dolls would be dealing with Mike and Nicole with Justin. 

 

The drive back to the station was completely silent, Nicole had glanced in the rearview mirror a couple time to see Mike exchanging looks with Justin but both looked away from each other the second they noticed Nicole watching them. The silence persisted as they entered the station, Dolls leading Mike down the hall to his offices and Nicole walking Justin into her own. He sat down and Nicole closed the door and pulled down all the blinds, she asked Justin to empty his pockets onto her desk. He placed the envelope, a cell phone and a beat up leather wallet onto the table. 

Nicole grabbed a pair of latex gloves from a box in her cupboard and opened up the envelope, inside she found exactly what she had feared. Mike had given him drugs, whether he was selling them or using them she didn’t know yet but the sheer paleness of Justin’s face told her that he knew just how screwed he was. She fired off a quick text to Dolls, confirming what was inside the envelope getting only a thumbs up in response.

She had been wrestling with her thoughts the whole way over. She could call his parents and let them know where he was and what he had been caught with or get Justin to talk to her and explain why he had been given this from Mike in the first place. Not that she wanted this kid to be getting blackmailed by a man like Bobo but surely that was better than him actually having this on him because he chose to right? Everything she had heard about him from his principle told Nicole that he was a good kid so what exactly was he playing at? She sat down at her desk across from him, pushed the envelope into her drawer, locked it and pulled the gloves off before dragging her hand down her face in frustration. She knew what she would want to happen if Amelia ever got in a situation like this, she would want a reasonable explanation and for someone to be fair and at least listen to her daughter’s defence so she took the only path she felt she could live with at that moment. 

“I’m not going to call your parents…” Nicole looked him straight in the eye and saw Justin visibly relax. “But…I need you to tell me exactly what is going on here! You’re a great student, I’ve never seen your name in relation to any incidents involving underage drinking or drugs and yet you’ve got enough drugs on you to supply your whole grade!” 

“I’ve never done this before…” Justin said looking away from Nicole and she believed him, he was still nervous but he definitely didn’t seem like he was lying. “I’ve never even been in the police station before…my…my older brother has some debt with Bobo Del Rey and he said if I…if I managed to sell everything he gave me to kids from my school they would call it even.” Justin started wiping furiously at his eyes as tears starting falling uncontrollably. Nicole silently passed over a box of tissues and let him calm himself down. “I didn’t even know if I was going to do it yet but my brother begged me, he said Bobo was gonna kill him if he didn’t square his debt!” 

“What’s your brothers name?” Nicole leaned forward and rested her elbows on her desk. 

“Alex.” 

“I’m going to need you to give me his number, I’m going to get this all straightened out and you are not going to have to do anything illegal Justin, ok?” Nicole pushed a pen and a notepad into his hands and he scribbled down a number, Nicole asked him to wait in her office while she dealt with something and headed off down the hall with the envelope from her desk to speak with Dolls but not before asking an officer to make sure Justin did not leave her office. 

Nicole could hear Dolls speaking with Mike from the other side of the door, it sounded like a very one sided conversation and so Nicole risked a knock to the door. Dolls answered after a couple of seconds, shielding Mike from view until he realised it was Nicole. She jerked her head back and Dolls understood her need to talk to him away from Mike. She explained the situation with Justin and his brother, handed Dolls Alex’s number along with the envelope and told him that she would not be bringing any charges against the kid. Dolls questioned why she believed him so readily and Nicole could only answer with how she had felt hearing Justin’s explanation. He probably thought he was doing the right thing in terms of his family, Nicole knew that she would go to extraordinary lengths to protect the people she cared about so why wouldn’t anyone else? She also knew something like this could set Justin up for the wrong path in life, if she could stop that from happening shouldn’t she? 

Nicole said she would be taking Justin home before she headed home herself and asked Dolls if he was getting anywhere with Mike. Sadly he was not, Mike had literally not said a word since he was brought in. Even the offer of protection from Bobo had earned Dolls nothing but now he had some more information maybe he could get something out of him. Nicole wished him luck and headed back to her office, when she was standing on the other side of the door Justin was speaking to someone, presumably on his phone that Nicole had stupidly left on the table in front of him when she left. 

“Mom, I’m sorry. I’ll be home soon, I got caught up with a friend from school.” A pause in the conversation indicated Justin was listening and Nicole opened the door quietly, Justin turned his head and took Nicole in for a second before speaking again. “No, I’m gonna get a ride home. Ok…Ok, I’m sorry. Bye.” Justin immediately put the phone down on the table and apologised for answering it, Nicole didn’t say anything about how she really shouldn’t have even left it there in the first place when she left the room. “My mom, she worries a lot!” Justin shook his head and Nicole could tell that it was a weighted statement but decided against pushing for any more information on the topic. She figured Justin had had enough for tonight. 

With Justin riding in the passenger seat beside her, Nicole’s mind was going over and over whether or not she made the right call. Justin kept looking at the clock on Nicole’s dashboard and she wondered just how long ago he had said he would be home. It was closing in on nine o’clock but given that Justin was almost eighteen years old that seemed like an early curfew, school was out for winter break and yet his mother didn’t want him out late. Nicole made a mental note to find out more about his home life by asking around the station. 

“Are you going to help my brother out? He didn’t seem like he was exaggerating when he said Bobo was going to kill him if he didn’t pay him back…” Justin stared out the window as Nicole’s gaze rested on him for a beat before turning her attention back to the road. Nicole wanted so badly to tell him that hopefully Bobo wouldn’t be around town much longer but she couldn’t promise that. Nicole wasn’t an expert on sibling dynamics but she couldn’t help but feel that Alex’s problems should not be falling onto his younger brother’s shoulders. 

“I’m going to do my best, Justin. Tell him to keep his head down, stay out of trouble and hopefully no more trouble will find him. I’m going to give you my private number and call me whenever you need, ok?” Nicole pulled up outside the address that Justin had given her, she pulled out a business card from her front pocket. She still hadn’t got around to getting Sheriff ones ordered but she wrote down her new extension on the back as well as her personal number before handing it over to him. 

“Thank you, Sheriff Haught. I’ll tell him.” He stuffed the card into his pocket and left the car, sprinting up the steps and into the house. As soon as he was gone from view Nicole pulled out her phone and instinctively called Waverly, sticking it on loudspeaker as she made her way home. 

“Hey, baby! Are you on your way home?” Waverly’s voice filling the car sent the wave of calm through her body that she knew she needed. She thought tonight was going to be simple observation and evidence gathering, like every other stakeout Dolls had done recently. She hadn’t mentally prepared herself to make some tough decisions tonight and that had been her own fault. Be ready for anything, that was what her mentor at the academy had always told her, be ready for anything. She was certain the choice that she had made was the best for Justin but now she needed to worry about his brother and what Bobo might do. Hopefully Dolls would have some thoughts on how to move forward or maybe Mike had given him the information they needed to finally bring Bobo in on charges that would stick. How many other people in town was Bobo threatening because they owed him money? Nicole noticed the tight grip she had on her steering wheel and tried to relax them but it was easier said than done. 

“Yeah…I just needed to hear your voice…” Nicole sighed and allowed herself a tiny smile at the thought of being home with Waverly soon. “Can you just talk to me while I drive?” Instantly Waverly dove into recounting her and Amelia’s fun decorating the house after Nicole had left, she could feel the tension slowly leaving her body and couldn’t wipe the smile from her face the whole way home. She could hear how Waverly was walking back and forth as she talked and she could just picture her talking with her free hand despite Nicole not being able to appreciate the gestures over the phone. Waverly paused for a moment to think of the name of some obscure Christmas movie from her childhood that she had been discussing with Wynonna right before Nicole called. 

“I love you.” Nicole breathed out slowly and appreciated the little giggle that travelled through the phone from Waverly. 

“Are you nearly home?” Waverly asked after a moment and Nicole blushed. 

“I’ve been outside for nearly ten minutes…I just couldn’t bare to interrupt you.” Nicole now had the phone pressed to her ear and she looked up at the house to see Waverly opening the curtains with a stupidly massive grin on her face before she rolled her eyes dramatically enough for Nicole to see from her car. 

“Get inside, you goofball!” Waverly laughed down the phone, Nicole shut off the engine and headed into the house. Smile plastered on her face.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> For anyone that is interested I'm working away on my High School AU and it's going well so I'll be starting to post that in the new year!


	16. Chapter 16

Dolls filled Nicole in on his progress with Mike the following day in her office. He had finally cracked around midnight and agreed to help Dolls in exchange for immunity, Dolls didn’t want to give it to him but with no other paths leading to Bobo’s arrest he had to agree. It made them both uneasy that to fulfill this Mike had to be let go, they didn’t know if they could trust him but Dolls had made it very clear that Mike would be prosecuted to the full extent of the law if he didn’t help take Bobo down. There was nothing stopping him from just leaving town altogether though. Nicole suggested using at least one of the men that had been protecting Amelia to keep an eye on him now that she was no longer at school, Dolls agreed it was a wise move and put the plan into motion. It was going to take a while for Mike to gather the information Dolls needed and so to protect him from anything Bobo might do if he found out about Mike helping the investigation, all conversations pertaining to their objective would be held over the phone and he would drop the evidence in a location still to be determined where Dolls would pick it up afterwards. 

Nicole didn’t like the sound of it potentially taking some time to complete this and she worried about Justin’s brother. He never mentioned how much time Bobo had given him to sell the drugs but at least with Mike on their side now, Bobo would be none the wiser that Justin no longer had said drugs to actually sell. _If_ Mike was actually on their side.

She hoped Alex would do as his brother asked and keep a low profile until all of this was over. Dolls had spoken to Alex, told him that getting out of town for a few weeks might not be the worst idea but he refused. He said he wouldn’t risk leaving his brother in town when Bobo was there and Justin would never leave their mother. It piqued Nicole’s curiosity even more about their home life but no one at the station seemed to know much about the family. Justin had called her private number that morning to let Nicole know that he’d told his brother to lay low but he was worried. He said his brother had a tendency to do exactly what others told him not to do. Nicole tried to reassure him that his brother wouldn’t want anything to happen to him and so she was sure that this time he would make the smart choice. Justin hoped so too. Once again the questions surrounding his home life were on the tip of Nicole’s tongue but what Nicole assumed was his mother’s voice appeared in the background and he quickly said he had to go, so once again they were left unanswered. 

Dolls was back in his office trying to figure out a viable location for a drop spot and Nicole ended up having to take a call for a public disturbance when all the other officers were busy. It turned out to be a bunch of kids overexcited that school was over playing music a little too loud in a parking lot. She told them to go somewhere less busy as to not annoy anyone else and off they went. When she returned to the station, Waverly and Amelia were sitting in her office. Waverly on the couch and Amelia looking absolutely tiny in her mothers chair behind the desk as she drew in one of her countless colouring books. She’d asked for more for Christmas and Nicole was silently hoping she’d forgotten. 

“Mommy! I’m really good at drawing kittys now!” Amelia beamed as her mother walked in, lifting the book so Nicole could see and she shot a knowing look over at Waverly who smiled brightly, barely containing her excitement. They had been to a shelter a few weeks back and picked out a beautiful ginger kitten, it was going to be Amelia’s Christmas present and neither of them could wait until she saw her. Begrudgingly, Gus had agreed to look after it until Christmas morning when she would bring her round to their house. 

“You sure are! Ready to go?” Nicole got all of her drawing utensils packed into her backpack and put it onto Amelia’s shoulders. Waverly got up off the couch and rested her hand on Nicole’s arm. “Have a good shift, baby. I’m going to attempt to make this vegan thing you’ve found for Dolls to eat, just so we know we aren’t feeding him something absolutely disgusting!” Nicole smiled as she placed a quick kiss on Waverly’s lips before they said their goodbyes and Waverly headed to speak to Gus before her shift started. 

Waverly walked to Shorty’s eager to know what Gus wanted to talk to her about, it hadn’t sounded like anything bad when they spoke but she couldn’t think of anything good that would require this sort of meeting rather than just talking to her over the phone. Gus was standing behind the bar speaking with a regular when she walked in, she excused herself and pointed at a table for them to sit at. 

“What’s going on, Gus?” Waverly fiddled with her hands on top of the desk and she wished she had Nicole’s hands there to play with, it always made her feel calmer. Gus smiled softly as she saw the cogs turning in Waverly’s head, no doubt worrying about the million negative possibilities as to why Gus had asked to speak with her. 

“Hey, it’s nothing bad ok? It’s good…or rather I hope you see it as a good thing!” Gus reached across the table and stilled Waverly’s nervous hands. “I wanted to speak about the possibility of you taking over Shorty’s, properly taking over, ownership and everything!” 

“What? Why?! Is something wrong, Gus? Are you ok?” Waverly nerves were still on edge and it was leading her brain to some bad conclusions, was Gus sick? Was she getting her house in order to prepare for the worst? 

“Honey…I’m fine!” Gus laughed and shook her head, she hadn’t expected that reaction. “I just don’t know how much longer I can keep this up, I know Shorty always wanted you to inherit this place one day. You were the closest thing he ever had to a daughter. I’m not saying that you have to make your mind up right now but I want you to think about it, ok?” Someone started making their way to the bar and Gus patted her hand down onto Waverly’s once before getting up to serve them.

Waverly stared at the empty seat in front of her for a long moment just trying to wrap her head around the idea of actually owning Shorty’s. She didn’t know if she saw herself working in a bar for the rest of her life, in fact more recently she had been considering looking into online degrees and finally putting her brain to use on something other than calculating bar tabs. She wasn’t sure she had the time to do both as well as having any sort of life and she needed to think about Nicole and Amelia in all of this too. At the same time she couldn’t imagine some stranger taking it over, changing everything about it and it not feeling like Shorty’s anymore. 

Without even really thinking about it she pulled out her phone and called Nicole, when she answered after just a few rings Waverly realised the bar probably wasn’t the best place to be having this conversation and so she walked through to Gus’s office. 

“Hey!” Nicole answered the phone enthusiastically and Waverly smiled despite all the thoughts rushing through her mind. “Everything alright?” 

“Yeah…maybe…I don’t know.” Waverly sighed as she threw herself down a little harder than necessary onto the only chair in the office. “Gus wants me to take over Shorty’s, like really take it over! I would be the owner.” 

“Waves, that’s amazing…you don’t sound that excited though.” Nicole hummed down the phone, Waverly knew that she should have started talking to Nicole about her ideas about studying but she was still getting used to actually having someone in her life that she could talk about life plans with. Pretty much every decision she had made in her adult life had been hers to make, not needing to worry about how it really affected other people. Having Nicole in her life was making her think about bigger things, where she wanted her life to go, she didn’t know for sure that she never would have decided to try and get a degree without meeting Nicole but was sure that having the woman in her life had a lot to do with it. Nicole made her feel like she was capable of anything. 

“It is amazing and I should be excited but I just don’t know that this is what I want my life to be…I probably should have mentioned before but…I’ve been looking into online courses lately, history, English literature, some language courses. I could be putting way too much on my plate if I decided to take it all on.” Waverly traced patterns onto the desk in front of her, she should have told Nicole before. Telling her because she _had_ to felt wrong. She had her reasons for keeping it to herself but deep down she knew they were silly. 

“Babe, that’s great…why didn’t you say something?” Nicole asked and Waverly tried to listen out for any indication that her keeping it from Nicole had hurt her in any way but she couldn’t find any. Nicole genuinely just seemed curious as to why Waverly hadn’t thought to mention it. 

“Honestly?” Waverly hesitated for a moment, taking a deep breath. “I’m scared I’m not going to get accepted anywhere and if I didn’t mention it I thought you couldn’t be disappointed in me…” 

“Waverly…” Nicole sighed and Waverly could almost feel the gentle caress on her face from the softness in the voice. “I could never be disappointed in you. For the record though, I absolutely think you would get accepted into any course you applied for.” 

“Thank you…doesn’t exactly help me with the current dilemma though!” Waverly laughed, she felt lighter now that Nicole knew about her tentative plans but she was no closer to a decision on Shorty’s. 

“Would you have to be like completely in charge the way Gus is or could you hire someone to run the day to day?” Nicole asked and Waverly hadn’t even thought about it like that, she could always do that, as a permanent situation or just until she finished studying. It’s not like every single business owner took the hands on approach that both Shorty and Gus did. 

“I guess so…” They talked about lots of different options before Waverly realised they had chatted for nearly half an hour. “I better get back and actually work before Gus decides to rescind her offer. I’m sorry I never mentioned the whole thinking about studying thing. Thanks for talking me through this, I’ll see you when I get home!” Waverly didn’t feel like she was ready to make a decision yet but she knew she’d get there with Nicole helping her figure out what exactly she wanted to do. 

“Don’t worry about it, it took me like six months before I told Shae I wanted to apply to the Police! It can be scary letting someone in on your aspirations but just know I’m here whenever you want to talk about anything! Bye, I love you!” Nicole made a kissing noise down the phone and it made Waverly smile the same way it did every single time she would do it. 

“Love you too!” Waverly made her way out to the bar and Gus looked at her expectantly, as if such a massive decision could be made after one phone call. She told Gus she was still thinking about it but she would come up with an answer as soon as she could. Gus just nodded her head and went about serving the rest of the waiting customers as Waverly got herself ready to work. 

As the day carried on Waverly let her mind wander, whenever she could, about what it would be like to be in charge of Shorty’s. It was basically her second home, she had spent so much time there after she moved in with Curtis and Gus, if Shorty had really always planned to have her take it over one day could she really say no? Nicole’s idea about getting someone else to run the day to day seemed like a great idea but who could she trust enough to do that and would Gus also be happy with that decision? Just because she would be giving Waverly the business that didn’t mean that Waverly would ever want to do something that Gus would disapprove of. If Waverly felt a strong connection to the place, she couldn’t imagine how Gus felt about it. She decided to let herself mull it over for a few weeks, figure out what she truly wanted and then go to Gus with her plan, whatever it ended up being. She figured she should also start actually applying to the courses she was interested in, no point in taking that into consideration if she didn’t end up getting accepted. It was scary, putting herself totally out there, open to rejection but Nicole’s faith in her helped. 

Wynonna came strutting into the bar just as happy hour began, she flung herself over the bar with a grin and pulled Waverly into a massive hug causing her to spill some of the beer she had been pouring. Gus shot Wynonna a warning look before turning back to the patron she was serving. Wynonna rolled her eyes at her aunt and Waverly just looked at her, waiting for some sort of explanation as to her sisters particularly upbeat attitude. It took a moment but Waverly’s brain kicked in. 

“You got the job?” She squealed and Wynonna stuck a finger in the ear closest to Waverly before breaking out in a laugh. 

“I got the job!” Wynonna beamed nodding furiously, Waverly wrapped her up in a tight hug and she could feel tears threatening to fall. She really didn’t want to get her hopes up that Wynonna was back for good but she couldn’t help it, it felt amazing to just feel content in that moment thinking about it. Wynonna told her when she would be starting, it wasn’t until the beginning of the new year. Agnes wasn’t retiring until late February but without anyone else able to train her, Wynonna would have to learn everything from her before she left. “How about you pour me a celebratory drink while I go and tell Gus?” 

Wynonna spun around and headed straight to Gus as Waverly pulled down a bottle of the nicest whiskey that Shorty’s had to offer, she poured a shot and with a quick glance over at her sister and aunt hugging happily, she poured one out for her and Gus as well. Waverly could tell by the look on Gus’s face that she knew what Wynonna getting a job in Purgatory meant, she looked pleased, really pleased.

There weren’t many chances over the years to celebrate things as a family but this definitely seemed like something they should enjoy together. She carried them over and the three toasted to Wynonna’s new job, Waverly swore she saw a tear fall from Gus’s eye as she drank. She knew Gus would be happy for Wynonna but maybe she actually had missed her just as much as Waverly did all the time that she was away from home. At that moment none of them cared that they were in a bar full of people, some waiting impatiently for their next drink, all of their focus was on each other. Gus motioned for her two girls to come in for a hug, Wynonna feigned disinterest at the overly sentimental act before her pretense faded and they all embraced, breathing the moment in for just a little while longer.


	17. Chapter 17

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Christmas day at the Haught/Earp household!

Waverly had been up for hours, it was Christmas morning and all she wanted was the day to be perfect. Nicole lay half asleep in bed upstairs hearing the sweet sounds of Waverly and Amelia laughing softly as they moved around beneath her. She had tried to get up with Waverly but she was forced back down by her attentive girlfriend and told to sleep a little longer. Nicole and Dolls had worked late into the night, finally getting somewhere on the case now that they had Mike’s cooperation, simply so they could justify both of them taking a full day off working it to celebrate the holiday. Dolls actually seemed excited to be coming over for something other than work related business. Nicole didn’t feel tired despite the lack of sleep, it had been years since she was able to celebrate Christmas with a family, _her family._ She had Amelia the previous year for Christmas and it was lovely but just the two of them, she couldn’t wait to be surrounded by all the people she cared about just like she had grown up doing. 

She dwelled a little longer than she wanted to thinking about what her parents would be doing this year, how they were, if they wondered how she was doing or if their granddaughter was well. She had already started drafting the email she would be sending on her father’s birthday, she could never manage to write them on a whim or else she would end up sending words she would no doubt regret so she had to plan them out carefully. She planned to take a few photos of Amelia today to send along with it and she thought about including Waverly in them, telling them just how happy she was but they probably wouldn’t care and thinking about that hurt far too much. 

Even though she had only managed a little extra sleep since Waverly slipped out of bed she decided to head downstairs, remind herself why she had come out to her parents, she would never have been this happy if she had stayed living a lie just to keep them happy and in her life. Waverly was worth it, Amelia was worth it and everything that was going to come next for them was going to be worth it too. 

Nicole was surprised to see Wynonna up and about as well, helping Waverly in the kitchen while Amelia seemed to be making her best attempt at cleaning up her toys from the living room. There was a small pile of her things organized in the corner as she played with a few others still waiting to be put away. She smiled realizing that Waverly knew Amelia so well, she would end up getting distracted by one of her toys as she tidied and Waverly would be able to get on with what she needed to do with only the occasional interruption. Nicole crept up behind Amelia, knowing full well her attention was currently elsewhere and she hadn’t noticed her mother coming downstairs. 

“Merry Christmas, sweetie!” Nicole leaned forward and scooped her up in arms kissing her repeatedly on the side of her face. Amelia giggled uncontrollably as she squirmed in Nicole’s arms, trying to escape the kiss attack. 

“Merry Christmas, Mommy!” Amelia finally managed to get her laughter under control as Nicole lowered her back down to stand on the floor. She beckoned her mother closer with a finger and covered the sides of her face ready to whisper something into Nicole’s ear, Nicole leaned down and turned her head waiting expectantly for whatever she was about to say. “Will Waverly and Nonna like their presents?” 

“Definitely!” Nicole beamed down at her daughter and Amelia clapped her hands together, she rushed over to the presents neatly positioned underneath the tree and asked her mother which ones were hers to give out. After Nicole pointed them out Amelia nodded and looked as if she was trying really hard to commit to memory, she had said weeks ago that she wanted to give her presents to her mother and Waverly first and it made Nicole’s stomach flutter at the memory. She knew Waverly was going to think it was sweet but there was a tiny part of her that was a bit worried, that maybe it was going to freak Waverly out so she figured it was a good thing to get it out of the way quickly. “Since I’m up now how about we open a few presents before everyone else gets here?” 

“Yes!” Amelia shouted and immediately ran through to the kitchen calling for Waverly and Wynonna. Nicole knew that as soon as Gus arrived and Amelia got her present from Waverly and Nicole there would be very little that would get her attention away from the kitten. Nicole followed slowly behind smiling as Amelia tried her best to drag the sisters away from the kitchen by their hands, both of them laughing and shaking their heads at the little girls excitement. There really was nothing that warmed someone’s heart more than a kid being so ridiculously happy on Christmas morning. 

They all sat down in the living room and Nicole was sure that there was a particularly alcoholic smell coming from Wynonna’s cup of coffee, seeing Nicole eyeing her she offered her a sip with a wink but Nicole declined with a laugh. Amelia ran over to the tree, furrowed her brow before remembering which presents her mother had pointed out to her and grabbed all three. Two roughly the same size and a slightly smaller one that she kept tucked under her arm as she passed the other two to Nicole and Waverly. It was a little pointless that Nicole’s present was wrapped, she had seen it days ago when she helped Amelia wrapped them all but Amelia insisted that she wrap it too. Nicole watched carefully, breath totally caught in her throat, as Waverly started to unwrap hers and only then began taking the paper off of her own. Amelia was standing in front of them both, hands held in front of her as she watched them both look over their gifts. Nicole admired her daughter’s work, a hand made clay snowman in each of their hands. Amelia gently prompted Waverly to turn hers over with a nervous smile. 

“Amelia…” Waverly voice was incredibly soft, almost a whisper and she had brought her hand up to her chest right over her heart. Nicole watched as she traced her fingers over the words carved carefully into the back, not by Amelia but it had been her that had asked for those words specifically to be put there by her kindergarten teacher. 

_Merry Christmas Mama. Love from Amelia xx_

Waverly let out a gentle sob and Nicole instantly wrapped her arm around Waverly’s shoulders and ran a hand down her cheek. Waverly looked up at her and shook her head just ever so slightly but she was smiling so beautifully at Nicole she almost started crying herself. 

“Do you like it?” Amelia piped up and pulled them out of the moment, Waverly turned back to her and nodded, clearly not able to form any sort of words. “I already have Mommy and Mom and my friend Rebecca calls her Mommy Mama…” Amelia’s words were cut off as Waverly pulled her in for a hug, Amelia instantly wrapped her arms around Waverly’s neck and Nicole finally let a tear run down her cheek. 

“I love it, Amelia! Thank you!” Waverly kissed the little girls cheek and let her go from the hug. Amelia’s smile was wide as she walked over to Wynonna to hand her the final gift she had to give out, Wynonna wasn’t really paying attention until Amelia pushed the present into her hand and finally she took her eyes off of Waverly. Wynonna set her mug down and unwrapped a similar handmade gift, this one a small Christmas tree with _Merry Christmas Auntie Nonna_ on the back. Nicole and Waverly watched from their seats as Wynonna hugged Amelia just as tightly as Waverly had, Nicole whispering in Waverly’s ear what was written on the back. Wynonna cleared her throat and pretended like she needed a refill on her coffee after letting Amelia go but both Nicole and Waverly saw her wipe her eyes as she left the room with a smile. Amelia skipped along behind her asking if she could get her some juice from the fridge. 

“You knew about this huh?” Waverly gestured to the snowman and Nicole nodded, blushing a little. Waverly captured her lips in a deep kiss that left them both out of breath. 

“I was a little worried it was going to scare you…” Nicole sighed heavily as she ran her hand along Waverly jaw line, stopping just as she reached her chin and leaving her fingers hovering there. “I know I say things sometimes about our future and you’ve never told me you don’t want what I want but I know you’ve never got to this place with anyone before…I can’t picture my life without you in it and I don’t think Amelia can either!” 

“You have no idea how much that means to me, I’m in this Nicole!” Waverly looked away for a moment, feeling vulnerable but a gentle caress of Nicole’s finger against her chin brought her back. “I’m all in.” Nicole closed her eyes and just took in Waverly’s words, she didn’t think there was anything that could make this day any better than just hearing that from Waverly. Noticing the time she figured she really should get showered and dressed before their guests arrived. She offered Waverly a space in the shower with her but almost painfully she had to say no, she had so much to do to get things ready. 

“If I leave Wynonna in the kitchen alone for too long she’s going to infuse every single dish with whiskey…she’s already suggested putting it in the mash potatoes!” Waverly rolled her eyes with a chuckle as she ushered Nicole up the stairs to get ready. “Gus said she’ll be here in half an hour, I can’t wait!” Waverly beamed at the thought of Amelia finally getting to see her present, she had told Wynonna about it the night before and while she pretended to be annoyed about living with a cat she did say that Amelia was going to love it. Something in her eyes told Waverly that she was going to love it too. 

As expected Amelia literally flipped out when she saw the kitten, so much so that she couldn’t think of a name to give her just yet but that wasn’t important. Waverly almost felt bad that Shae’s gift, a kids version of whatever tablet computer Waverly had seen her use when she visited, didn’t get a reaction even close. Nicole said she would set it up for her the next day but Amelia barely acknowledged her as she ran around after the kitten and played with the few toys that Gus had bought to keep her amused while staying at her place. She proudly exclaimed that this was the ‘best Christmas ever’ over and over as she kissed the kittens fur in between it’s bursts of energy. Nicole and Waverly exchanged their gifts, each watching eagerly to see the reaction.

Nicole had gone back and forth on what to get Waverly for weeks but finally settled on a watch that she had seen Waverly eyeing one day as they past the only antique shop in town. It had needed a replacement band but the woman who owned the store gave her a recommendation for who to see about it and it turned out perfect. Waverly put it on straight away, thanking Nicole with a kiss that earned a gagging noise from Wynonna and one of what was sure to be many whacks on the arm that day from Gus. 

Waverly’s real gift to Nicole had yet to arrive, the exact make of recliner that had come with her previous place and so Waverly had to scramble to find something that she would be able to open on Christmas day. Nicole wasn’t nearly as into jewelry as Waverly was but she did have an affection for necklaces and so when Waverly stumbled upon a necklace with Nicole’s birthstone it was as if the universe was throwing her a bone. She was always such a good planner but somehow she didn’t plan for a piece of furniture not being delivered on time. 

They opened up the rest of their presents with Gus and then Gus made her way into the kitchen with Waverly offering to help in any way she could, Waverly seemed almost dead set on doing it all herself after Wynonna had given up trying to assist her before they started to exchange gifts but with less than an hour before she had said dinner would be on the table she relented and let Gus help. Nicole was helping but staying out of the way by setting the table when Wynonna ran into the kitchen and grabbed her sister by the shoulders, face totally manic. 

“Why is Doc walking up to the house right now?!” She spoke through gritted teeth and Waverly’s eyes went wide. 

“Uh…because I invited him…I thought you guys had made up since he stayed here the other night!” Waverly scrunched up her face, realizing all too late that she had made a mistake in inviting him. He hadn’t acted like it was weird when she spoke to him about it so naturally she just assumed it was fine and that they had in fact made up from whatever fight they had had. 

“Yeah…thanks a bunch. That wasn’t him…” Wynonna closed her eyes and Nicole swore she was trying to wake herself up from a bad dream. Her eyes shot open and she cursed under her breath realizing that unfortunately she was still standing in her kitchen and Doc had just opened the front door. “Ok…this will be fine…this will be fine right?” She shook Waverly’s shoulders a little, Waverly tried to give her a reassuring nod but it didn’t look like it did anything to calm her sister down. At least Waverly had saved herself a little by not mentioning who she thought was Doc staying over when she had invited him. 

“Merry Christmas, ladies!” Doc smiled, it firmly reaching his eyes as he set a bottle of wine, a bottle of whiskey and a dish covered in tin foil onto the table. “Now I know you said not to bring anything, Waverly, but I thought my Mama’s pecan pie recipe would make a great addition to today’s offerings!” He let his eyes drop on everyone in the kitchen, clearly not noticing the tense atmosphere he had just walked into, eyes resting on Wynonna just a little longer than everyone else and Nicole noticed the way his smile grew infinitely wider as he did so. 

“Sounds amazing, Doc! Glad you could join us!” Nicole chimed in when no one else seemed to be getting ready to say anything. “How about you meet the newest addition to the house, you aren’t allergic to cats are you?” Nicole took his arm and led him into the living room where Amelia and the kitten were still playing. 

“Why are you being so weird about this, Wynonna?” Waverly turned her sister around to face her once she was sure Nicole and Doc were out of earshot. “Anyway, it’s not like he has anywhere else to go today!” 

“I’m not being weird…” Wynonna eyes darted around the room as she tried to sound convincing but the look that Waverly and then Gus gave her made her realise it was not working. “He wants something I can’t give him ok? I don’t do _relationships_ and now you inviting him here on Christmas, what is he going to think? That I’ve changed my mind, that I want to be with him! You saw the look on his face when he saw me. Bad enough he’s decided he likes this stupid town and didn’t leave when I told him we needed to chill…” 

“Shit…I’m sorry! You should have told me. You guys can be friends though, right?” Waverly suggested meekly, Wynonna wasn’t exactly good with friends or relationships. She ignored her sister’s comment about Purgatory being stupid…it was Christmas and she really did not want to get into that fight again mainly because she was terrified that Wynonna would change her mind about staying in said stupid town. 

“Guess I’m going to have to try! Can’t exactly turn him out on his ass now he’s here can we?” Wynonna threw her arms up in the air and stalked back through to the living room, she passed by the table and then took a few steps back, grabbed the bottle of whiskey and continued on her way. Waverly buried her face in her hands after creating an awkward situation for her sister until Gus reassured her that she was only trying to do a nice thing. 

Wynonna seemed to be sulking in the corner, away from where Nicole and Amelia were introducing the kitten to Doc. Nicole appreciated the way Doc asked for Amelia’s permission to stroke the little ginger fluffball before diving right in. Nicole looked over to Wynonna as she opened up the bottle of whiskey and poured far more than necessary into her cup of coffee…or maybe it was all whiskey now. She also noticed how Wynonna kept looking out the window and when the final guests car made its way towards the house she was positive that Wynonna’s eyes briefly shot wide before she covered it up by taking a drink. Interesting. 

“Perfect timing!” Waverly voice sung through to the living room, she had obviously heard the car pulling up as well. “Dinner is pretty much ready, come take your seats!” She was practically jumping for joy as she stuck her head through to them and beckoned them in with her finger. Nicole made her way over to Waverly and pulled her into a brief kiss, she was just so glad that Waverly was enjoying herself today. Everyone filtered passed them as they made their way together to the door to welcome Dolls. 

“Merry Christmas, Agent Dolls!” Waverly chirped as he made his way up the porch steps to the front door. 

“Hey, no work terms today. Please call me Xavier! Merry Christmas, Waverly, Nicole!” He nodded to each of them with the first real smile that Nicole had seen from him, she was a little surprised by his lack of formality even if this was a relaxed setting. He had never actually told her his first name and she couldn’t get over the feeling that somehow they had just been let into some top secret club. 

“Xavier…I love that! Come on in, dinner is served!” Waverly practically sang and accentuated it with a flurry of her hand as she pulled Nicole inside with Dolls following behind and when they got to the table she introduced him to everyone. Although Gus had met him briefly in Shorty’s before and he had met Amelia the first time he came to the house and a few other times that Amelia had been in the station, Waverly being the perfect host did her duties. 

Nicole had started to formulate a theory and so she watched both Wynonna and Dolls carefully as Waverly introduced them to each other. Wynonna barely met his eye as she nodded her greeting towards him but mere seconds later when Waverly’s attention was on to introducing Doc, Nicole saw Wynonna crack a sly smile towards Dolls. One that Dolls almost imperceptivity returned before acknowledging Doc. She didn’t have much to go on before that but there had been enough to pique her interest, Dolls’ reaction to Wynonna’s name when she invited him, Wynonna’s freak out when she realised Doc had been invited as well being a little more than called for in Nicole’s opinion. Wynonna knew that Dolls was coming, she had been there when Nicole had told Waverly and now she thought about it, she _had_ suddenly become interested in their conversation when his name came up. Was Dolls the mystery guy that had stayed over that night? 

“Nicole?” Waverly’s voice brought her out of her thoughts and she realised she was still standing behind her chair when everyone else was sitting waiting to dig in to the feast before them. 

“Sorry…” Nicole ducked her head and blushed a little at being caught obviously in a daydream, she sat down quickly and a little awkwardly trying to keep her eyes away from Dolls who was definitely eyeing her. Waverly set her hand down on her thigh and squeezed it just a little so she would turn her attention over to her, she gave a little nod confirming everything was alright and Waverly instructed everyone to enjoy. 

“And if you don’t enjoy, keep your mouth shut or Waverly’ll get her shotgun out!” Wynonna cackled as she reached forward, the first to start piling up food on her plate. Gus gave her a disapproving look and she slowed her pace, Waverly let out a tiny giggle at the fact Gus’ glare still managed to get Wynonna to behave herself a little better around company after all these years.

As expected everyone did in fact enjoy the spread that Waverly had put out, Dolls made a point of complimenting the specific dish made for him and Waverly tried hard but failed to not seem too appreciative of everyone’s praise. Nicole gently reminded her that it was totally fine to be proud of her hosting ability to which she received a thankful kiss. Dolls practically insisted on clearing the table and doing the dishes when everyone was done, Amelia had rushed through her meal at a slightly alarming rate just so she could get back to playing with the still unnamed kitten. Everyone had tried giving her suggestions while they ate and Amelia carefully thought each of them over before deciding they didn’t fit. 

Waverly was glad to finally put her feet up, she felt like she had just worked the hardest day in her life but it had been totally worth it. Everyone was having a great time, Nicole had stuck on her favourite movie to watch on Christmas day which much to everyone’s confusion was Shrek but the way Amelia cheered when she saw the dvd being pulled off the shelf made everyone’s protests at not watching an actual Christmas movie fall silent. She cuddled up beside Waverly, not before noting the absence of both Wynonna and Dolls from the room, and let an out an exaggerated sigh as she rubbed her stomach. 

“I’m never eating again!” Nicole exclaimed to a chorus of agreement from Gus and Waverly but Doc shot her a disappointed look. 

“What about my pecan pie?!” He held his hand to his chest faking a hurt expression before breaking out into a laugh. “Actually, I don’t think I could handle it either!” Everyone laughed along with him. Waverly realised she had forgotten her glass of wine on the table and untangled herself from Nicole’s arms to go and fetch it. 

She got two steps into the kitchen before she stopped dead in her tracks and gawked at the sight in front of her. Wynonna with her arms around Doll’s waist, kissing him…hard. She took the final step forward needed to grab her glass and quietly sprinted back to the living room. She sat down on the edge of the couch and downed the remainder of the wine that had been in the glass. Nicole reached out her hand to touch Waverly’s waist and she practically jumped at the touch before realizing who it was and turning to look at Nicole, she figured her eyes were basically popping out of her head by the look Nicole was giving her. 

“What’s wrong, baby?” Nicole inched forward, concern etched over her face at Waverly’s expression. Waverly looked quickly over to Doc who was too focused on the TV to pay any attention to her watching him and then brought her eyes back to Nicole. 

“Nothing…I’ll…I’ll tell you later.” She shook her head and tried to rid the image of her sister and Dolls out of her head. She really had not expected the day to take that turn but now she realised why Wynonna had been so weird earlier when she saw Doc. Waverly felt awful, what if he had been the one to walk in on them? Nicole watched Waverly closely as they settled back into the couch together, she knew there was likely only one thing that had made Waverly react this way and not immediately tell Nicole what was wrong. 

“In the kitchen?” Nicole leaned in close to Waverly and nodded her head in that direction, for a second she wasn’t sure that Waverly had understood that she wasn’t asking her to talk outside but then realization dawned on her face and she looked at Nicole with eyes questioning how on earth she knew. Nicole just shrugged. “I’m a good cop!” 

“You could have said something!” Waverly whispered with little gruffness to her voice and Gus looked over to them with inquisitive eyes before presumably deciding she didn’t want to know and focused back in on the movie. 

“Hey, I wasn’t positive…I just had an feeling.” Nicole pulled Waverly closer and squeezed an apology into her waist as she peppered it with a kiss. Waverly let out a quick exhale from her nose which turned into a full blown sigh as Nicole’s phone rang. Phone ringing on Christmas day when you’re the town Sheriff meant one thing and one thing only, work. Nicole joined in Waverly’s sigh for a moment before extracting her phone from her pocket, Waverly was proved right as she saw the caller I.D of the station. “I’m sorry baby, they wouldn’t call if it wasn’t important!” Nicole reasoned but it didn’t do anything to change Waverly’s immediate shift in mood. 

Nicole answered and stood up stiff as a board almost immediately, she let out a stream of affirmative answers to whoever was on the call and then told them she would be right there. Waverly sighed again and stood up next to Nicole, she didn’t really try that hard to keep the disappointment from her face but when she recognized the haunted look in Nicole’s eyes, she knew what ever happened really had to be serious. Nicole looked conflicted as she flicked her eyes around the room, from Waverly to Amelia sitting on the floor with a finally exhausted sleeping kitten in her lap laughing away at something she hadn’t heard Shrek just say on screen. Waverly put a supportive hand on Nicole’s arm and nodded. 

“Go! Just be safe, ok?” Waverly smiled as she gripped Nicole’s arm a little tighter. 

“Always!” Nicole leaned down and kissed her quickly before moving off and telling Amelia she would be back soon. “Dolls! We’ve got a situation!” Nicole yelled through to the kitchen and within a second Dolls was in the living room, posture fully returned to work mode. 

“Yes, Haught?” He stood steady as Wynonna came up behind him, hand almost landing on his shoulder before she thought better of it and clearly not catching the way Waverly was looking at her. 

“I’ll explain on the way. Let’s go!” Nicole rushed over to the small cabinet by the front door where her gun safe now lived, punching in the code with practiced ease she had her belt and gun out in seconds, attaching them to herself before pulling on her coat. Waverly watched them leave with an aching in her chest, she knew that Nicole had a job to do but all she wanted was for today to be perfect. Her anger was misplaced she knew that before she even spoke but she couldn’t help herself. 

“You, me, kitchen. Now!” Waverly jabbed her finger at Wynonna who’s eyes went wild but followed Waverly quickly as she stomped into the other room.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I won't be posting the next chapter until after Christmas, I know it's a cliffhanger but since all our favourites are safe and sound in the house or out of town I figured I would let this one stay as such. 
> 
> Wishing everyone who celebrates it a Merry Christmas and everyone who doesn't, I hope you have a great day as well! I know this time of year can be rough for a lot of people and so my thoughts are with anyone who doesn't find it a pleasant holiday or can't be with their family. Love to you all x


	18. Chapter 18

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Happy New Year everyone! I hope everyone had a great time bringing in the new year and I wish you all the best for the year to come! Hope you enjoy this update!

“We’ve got a body.” Nicole said, as soon as the door to the house was closed. “Witness thinks it’s Mike Wilson.” 

“Shit.” Dolls sprinted ahead of her and into his car. “Location?” 

“Old mine entrance, just outside of town. I’ll send you a pin.” Nicole fished out her phone and got to work on that while simultaneously unlocking her door and getting into her cruiser. The two of them sped away, Lawrence had said on the phone that there were already two officers en route and the witness was still there, under instruction to wait until an officer arrived at take their statement. Nicole really hoped that the witness was wrong, that Mike was not the body but in a town where everybody knew everybody, the chances of them getting it wrong were probably slim to none. Her and Dolls had called off the agent making sure he stayed in town just a day prior, he was working with them and providing them evidence with seemingly no intention of running off on them so they didn’t see the need. She slammed her hands down on the steering wheel in frustration, it had been Dolls idea but she had readily agreed and now she had to deal with that on her conscience. 

Pulling up to the scene with Dolls SUV closely behind she jumped from the car and rushed over to where she could see Lonnie and Dennis. Lonnie hovering over the body and Dennis speaking to the witness holding tightly onto his dog by its leash, she would deal with the witness later. Right now she needed confirmation that the body was in fact Mike. As she neared she could see Lonnie reaching forward, looking like he was about to touch the man’s face and before Nicole could shout at him not to disturb the body Lonnie turned his head and all but screamed. 

“He’s breathing! He’s breathing!” Instantly Lonnie was on his radio and Nicole could hear him calling for an ambulance as she neared. She knelt down beside who she could now see clearly as Mike and checked for a pulse. He looked like he’d been shot, at least twice in the abdomen and his thick winter coat was covered in blood that had pooled all around him. It took her a moment but she found a pulse, slow but steady. Dolls came up behind her and instantly pushed her aside, he got to work on stopping the bleeding and Nicole wondered what background he had before working for the FBI. He was calm as hell, hands steady as he worked quickly like this was not the first time he had to do something like this. “Bus is ten minutes out…” Lonnie squeaked as he got a full view of the bullet wounds while Dolls worked and had to take a few steps back, labouring his breathing like he might be sick. 

“If you’re going to vomit do it over there!” Dolls looked up for a second and barked at Lonnie, gesturing his head away from Mike. “I’ll do what I can but he might not have ten minutes!” Nicole nodded and let him work, she decided the best thing she could do now was speak to the witness. Nicole recognised him from around town but she wasn’t sure of his name, she used to see him walking his dog near where she used to run in the mornings, clearly he had picked a new spot to go. She listened to what he was saying to Dennis and when there was a break in his comments Nicole chimed in. 

“Did you see anyone?” Nicole asked and Dennis gave her a look of ‘I was just about to ask that’ but being smart he didn’t voice it. 

“I got a video…I was filming my dog on my phone and then I heard yelling and a gun shot. Figured I was far enough away to film it and they wouldn’t see me.” The man pointed up towards a ridge behind them, he probably wouldn’t have been seen but Nicole was surprised by his bravery. She also thanked the heavens for people’s incessant need to video and photograph their pets. “I called it in right after but they told me to stay back until the shooter was gone, I knew it was Mike soon as I called!” He shook his head and looked over to where Dolls was looming over Mike’s body. 

“Let me see the video.” Nicole held out her hand for his phone and he clicked on the video as she held it in her hand. Part of her already knew what she was going to see but part of her thought it would be far too good to be true for Bobo to have done the dirty work himself. The video started out like he said, the scruffy looking dog jumping in a puddle and the mans voice over it calling him a ‘good boy’. Then shouting and a gun shot, the camera pulled quickly up and to the right where about two feet away from where Dolls and Mike were currently standing, Bobo stood gun drawn and fired a second shot right to Mike’s stomach. She could hear heavy breathing in the background of the video and a couple of curse words before the video cut out. She informed the man she would need it as evidence, trying to keep the smug grin off her face at the idea that Bobo had finally made a mistake. 

“Yeah, of course. Do you need me to come down to the station or…?” He asked reaching down to calm his dog who looked more than ready to get out from under the three towering bodies above him. Nicole told Dennis to take him back to the station, Bobo might not have seen him but she was not running the risk of anything happening to their only witness even with the video evidence. She wasn’t sure if he had a family he wanted to get back to but she was happy as hell that he hadn’t neglected to walk his dog even if it was Christmas. 

Once he and his dog were safely in Dennis’ cruiser, Nicole walked back towards Dolls hoping that whatever he had been doing was keeping Mike alive. Bobo probably thought that he wouldn’t be found out here for days or longer and would simply bleed out, she wasn’t sure how often people came out here in the winter. She did have to break up a party some teenagers were having nearby her first week on the job in Purgatory but it had been significantly warmer then. There had been a small littering of snow every now and again recently but none that had clung to ground properly yet. She was thankful for that, blood on snow had always send shivers up her spine. 

“How’s he looking, Dolls?” She wanted to tell him everything but he had more important things to focus on right now. He turned and the look on his face was all Nicole needed to know it was not looking good. Lonnie who somehow managed not to throw up waved his arms and Nicole heard the tires of the ambulance approaching. She knew Mike was probably not the best person in the world if he was working for Bobo but Waverly had told her that he was always kind to her and he _was_ helping them with their investigation even if it was just to save his own skin. He wasn’t as much of a dirtbag as Bobo and he was one of the people she had sworn to protect so as they loaded him into the back on the ambulance she truly hoped he was going to make it. “Take my car back to the station once you’ve surveyed the scene, we’ll follow the bus to the hospital.” Nicole tossed her keys to Lonnie you caught them and then proceeded to almost drop them into the pool of Mike’s blood. 

“Sure thing, boss!” Lonnie grimaced as he clutched the keys like his life depended on them. Dolls wiped his blood soaked hands on his formal trousers as they made their way to his SUV. With Mike cleared from the scene, Nicole was almost bouncing to tell Dolls that they finally had Bobo where they wanted him. Caught red handed with video evidence to boot. 

 

*** 

“How long has this been going on?” Waverly stood in the farthest part of the kitchen from the living room, aiming to shield Doc from the conversation she was about to delve into with Wynonna. 

“I don’t know what you mean…” Wynonna shrugged unconvincingly and Waverly just laughed. “Fine! Not long…couple weeks…a month…met him at a bar a town over. Said he didn’t like to drink where he worked.” 

“But apparently screwing his co-worker’s girlfriend’s sister is alright?” Waverly figured Dolls to have rules about this sort of thing, rules that he wouldn’t break but then she knew Wynonna was persistent when she wanted something. She was still angry about it, angry that Wynonna never told her, that she had made a fool out of herself by inviting not one but two people her sister had slept with in the past few months to Christmas dinner but most importantly that Wynonna never even told her. They had grown out of telling each over _everything_ like when they were kids but still, surely this was something that warranted a little sisterly bonding time right? 

“It was just supposed to be a one time thing…that just happened to turn into a couple times thing.” Wynonna mumbled and Waverly took a seat at the table, putting her head in her hands as a realisation hit her. 

“He was the one that stayed that night?” She didn’t look at Wynonna when she spoke and she really didn’t even need to ask the question because of course he was. 

“He drove me home, was I just not supposed to thank him for that?” There was a teasing in Wynonna’s voice that Waverly did not appreciate and as she lifted her head to look at her smirking sister she just rolled her eyes. Waverly wondered if Wynonna’s breakfast hadn’t consisted of more whiskey than coffee would she be so unaware that Waverly was a little hurt by this.

“Did he ask you to keep it from me?” Waverly knit her eyebrows together because maybe she could handle it if that was the case but she wasn’t entirely sure about it either. Wynonna shook her head and knelt down beside her, using the back of the chair to steady herself. 

“If I told you then you’d tell Nicole and that’d be a whole…thing!” She waved her hand around her face erratically and Waverly couldn’t help but smile a little at the stupid action. Of course she would have told Nicole about it, how could she not and she figured that was as good a reason as any to stop being so angry at Wynonna for not revealing it. “I’m sorry I didn’t tell you, babygirl!” Wynonna pushed herself up a little and hugged Waverly tight against her. When she let go she smiled until Waverly returned it and then dragged her back through to the living room. “And I’m sorry she had to work today.” Wynonna pressed a quick peck to the side of Waverly’s head before letting herself fall back onto the sofa. Waverly gave her a small smile, guessing that Wynonna had figured out the anger wasn’t entirely directed at her.

Waverly’s text alert went off not long after, Nicole hopefully letting her know that she was on her way home but she panicked when she read the message. 

_17.54  
N- At the hospital, probably going to be a long night xx _

Waverly was pressing the call icon beside Nicole’s name before she had even taken a breath. She got up from the couch and made her way half way up the stairs, it rung too long for Waverly’s liking when Nicole had literally just said she was at the hospital and when the call was answered and she heard her voice Waverly’s breath escaped in shaky relief. It was stupid, Nicole had to be fine enough to text her but hearing her voice not strained in any way made her heart rate calm. 

“Are you alright? Dolls? You can’t just say you’re at the hospital with no explanation!” Waverly scolded Nicole who she heard curse a little under her breath. 

“We’re both fine, sorry I didn’t think how it sounded…someone was attacked, we’re here with them right now. We’ve got a suspect…going to be heading out soon to pick them up.” Nicole’s words were coming out slow, like she was picking them very specifically. Waverly could hear her walking then, the sounds around her becoming more muted and then a door closing and her voice came through a little quieter. “I shouldn’t be telling you this but…I think all of this will be over soon. Bobo fucked up. We’ve got him for attempted murder…maybe even murder…Dolls’ guys say he’s still at the trailer park, probably doesn’t even realise he’s about to go down so we need to do this quick before he has a chance to be warned.” 

“Jesus, Nic! Please be careful!” Waverly hated the idea of Nicole going into that trailer park again, there were far too many loose cannons in such a tight space. She wanted to ask how much back up they were going to have but she bit her tongue, they didn’t need her second guessing whatever plan they had made. 

“Nic?”

“Sorry…it slipped out. If you don’t like it I’ll…” Waverly cringed, what a time to test out a new nickname. 

“No!” Nicole laughed softly down the phone. “I like it! I’ll be careful, I love you!” 

“I love you…go get him!” Waverly blew a steady stream of air out past quivering lips as she hung up the phone. Would it really be over soon? She desperately wanted Purgatory to go back to the peaceful little town that she had known but just because Bobo was gone would that mean his men would disappear too? Surely someone could just step in and take over from him? She bit down on her lip and tried to think positively, too much negativity would only fuel her fear for Nicole’s safety and that was something she did not need. It would be over soon, Nicole would come home and Bobo would be behind bars where he belonged. She repeated it in her head over and over.

The festivities of the day were long forgotten for her, even though everyone else seemed to still be enjoying their day. The one thing she could do was distract herself and after setting up Nicole’s laptop for Amelia’s Skype call with Shae she sat beside her, just off screen as to not impose and just listened to them talk. Amelia’s endless optimism took her mind to a calmer place, they talked about the kitten and Shae’s present to her, Waverly’s food and how her mommy needed to go to work. Only then did Waverly creep onto screen to reassure Shae that everything was fine, it was a lie and Waverly surprised herself at how easily it came out. Shae visibly relaxed and went back to talking with her daughter, starting to tell her how Christmas was so different where she was. Waverly closed her eyes as she leaned back in the kitchen chair, clutching onto her phone just waiting for a call or text to tell her Nicole was alright. 

 

***

Just as Dolls fellow agents had said, Bobo was at the trailer park totally unaware of what was about to happen. They seemed to be having their own holiday celebration, a large bonfire was throwing smoke and embers up into the darkening sky and at first they didn’t seem to notice the three SUVs and two police cruisers as they pulled in. The scene quickly changed as they watched both the police officers and the FBI agents get out of their vehicles, weapons drawn pointed to the ground but ready if anyone decided to make a stupid choice and headed straight for Bobo. He had been sitting in a pretty beat up lawn chair, bottle of beer in one hand and a cigarette hanging loosely from the other but now he was on his feet flanked by six of his men as he stared down the people who had dared to ruin his pleasant evening. 

Everything happened in such a blur that Nicole wasn’t even sure it had actually happened until she felt Bobo pull a little against the cuffs, she was holding onto, with a snarl. Dolls had pushed forward, despite the threatening formation behind Bobo and unsurprisingly had a massive grin on his face as he said the words Nicole had no doubt he had been waiting to say since he first came across Bobo. 

“Mr Del Rey, you are under arrest for the attempted murder of Mike Wilson!” Nicole watched the men around her as the words left Dolls mouth, waiting for their reactions. Eyes narrowed and teeth clenched, Bobo glared at Dolls. 

“We’ll see about that…” Bobo’s lip twitched slightly into a smile before his face became hard once again, his eyes flicking to one of his goons beside him. “Keep my seat warm for me, will you?” The man nodded with a smug grin as Bobo took a couple steps closer to Dolls wiggling his hands in front of him, waiting for Dolls to cuff him. Nicole stepped forward then, desperate to wipe the look off his face and pulled her cuffs from her belt before putting them on just a fraction too tight to be comfortable. It didn’t exactly get the result she was hoping, his face softened as he looked at Nicole and gave her the most condescending smile she had ever received. It made her skin crawl and made her want to sock him in the jaw all at the same time. “Is there any evidence for this particular crime that you are blaming me for?” 

“Oh Bobo…” Dolls laughed, a little maniacally and Nicole took a great deal of pleasure as she watched it unsettle Bobo, “You know what’s so great about smartphones?” Dolls paused as if actually waiting for an answer from the man in front of him. He leaned in close to Bobo then and whispered. “The cameras…” 

“I want a lawyer.” Bobo said flatly and looked away from Dolls quickly and struggled against the bite of the cuffs which Nicole knew would be getting more uncomfortable by the second. 

“Of course, Mr Del Rey.” Dolls smiled and nodded to Nicole, she walked him to Dolls car pushing him into the back seat before slamming the door with a little extra force. She looked back at Dolls who was staring down the crowd, they all looked like they could fly off the handle at any second. He stood for a few moments just watching as his men took positions making sure none of Bobo’s friends moved while the officers began their search of Bobo’s trailer for the weapon used. Satisfied that none of them were stupid enough to start anything he walked tall back to his car, a massive grin spread across his face. Nicole waited for Dolls to open the driver side door before getting into the car, no matter the situation she really did not want to be alone with Bobo. Once was more than enough. When Dolls pulled away she sent a quick text to Waverly, making sure she knew she was alright but that she now needed to head back to the station. 

She couldn’t quite believe it, Bobo was in custody, her officers had found an array of weapons in Bobo’s trailer and she was confident one of them would prove to be the gun used against Mike, there was no chance that a judge would grant him bail and for the first time since she set foot in that bank she felt truly relieved. Mainly that their visit to the trailer park had not ended in any sort of violence, she had expected Bobo to put up a fight but he was probably just so damn sure that they were just picking him up on suspicion of committing the crime. They still had to worry about Bobo’s men but without their ring leader around she hoped they would take the smart path and leave town. 

When they got back to the station, Dolls started processing Bobo, putting in calls to the county jail and his superiors and Nicole sat in her office nursing a coffee that smelt a lot better than it tasted. She called the hospital to get an update on Mike, ideally she would have left an officer there until they knew if he was going to make it or not but with pretty much everyone off for the holiday she needed everyone she could get to come with them to the trailer park just in case things went south. Mike was stable, not quite lucid just yet but the nurse on the phone seemed positive that by the next morning he would be capable of answering whatever questions she had for him. While she wasn't happy that Mike had been hurt, part of her was glad that it hadn't been Justin's brother. She had promised him that she would look out for him and if something had happened to him after that she never would have been able to live with herself. Nicole thanked the nurse for taking care of Mike and set down the phone as Dolls gently knocked on her already open door. Nicole nodded for him to enter and gestured to the seat on the other side of her desk. 

“We’ll be moving him in the morning…wish we could have got him for all the other shit he’s been up to but I guess we can call this a consolation prize.” Dolls smiled as he sat in the chair opposite her and she returned it. “This gives me time to work on the case, I should be able to focus a little better knowing he’s not still out there.” Nicole nodded solemnly, she knew that when they brought him in it would no doubt mean the end of her involvement in the case but she hadn’t prepared herself for just how much she was actually going to miss working with Dolls. 

“So when do you leave?” Nicole asked and Dolls’ eyes focused on something just behind her head. 

“I’ll be around for a while, make sure no one from his organisation decides to take up where he left off and we still need to deal with the businesses Bobo was using…listening to the call with his lawyer though I have a feeling he may need to liquidate some assets fairly quickly.” Dolls let out a self satisfied laugh and looked back at Nicole. “Can’t get rid of me that easily, alright?” He smiled, warm and genuine and Nicole grinned back and nodded her head. 

“So…” Nicole started and wondered if she should really be asking him about it but it seemed like as good a time as any and knowing Waverly she would ask if Nicole had prodded Dolls for answers when she eventually got home. “You and Wynonna, huh?” 

“What?” Dolls face went from smile to glare to vacant expression in the space of breath and then finally rested on something that looked a little like defeat. “Uh…yeah…kind of.” 

“Kind of?” Nicole laughed and took a long sip from her mug, hoping her face didn’t show just how little she was enjoying the sludge making its way down her throat. 

“She’s fun, a bit much sometimes but fun. Not like it was ever going to last though…” Dolls shrugged and Nicole swore she heard a hint of disappointment in his tone. While Wynonna’s personality was really not Nicole’s type, she could obviously see the appeal looks-wise. The Earp genes were definitely damn good in that respect but it amazed her how Wynonna could have two men both seemingly very interested in her and yet she just wanted something casual. Protecting herself most likely but Nicole wondered if she could ever change.

“Not exactly the fast paced life of an FBI agent you’d be used to but y’know, if you ever fancied a quieter life there’d always be a place for you here. Help give a better name to small town cops!” Nicole teased and watched closely to how her offer would be received. She didn’t expect him to say yes but part of her actually wished he would consider it, she’d been thinking more and more about bringing in flesh blood to the department and she couldn’t think of anyone she’d like to work with more than Dolls. 

“Well I think you’ve got that covered all on your own, Haught! Seriously…I’ve been in small towns like this all over and Purgatory is lucky to have you.” Dolls tone was playful but his face was all business and Nicole ducked her head to avoid him seeing the extent of the blush it created. “Thank you though, maybe in a couple years when I’ve had enough of living in hotels and out of suitcases I’ll give you a call.” 

“Anytime!” Nicole smiled and got up from behind her desk, starting to gather her things. It was getting late and all she wanted to do was go home and see Waverly. Let her know that things might finally start getting back to normal in town and fall asleep with her arms tight around the woman she loves. Dolls got up and followed her out, she told him who was on duty that night and if he needed anything at all to speak to them. “Oh and if you ever stay at the house again…stay for breakfast ok?” Nicole winked and Dolls eyes went a little wide before he reigned them in, Nicole couldn’t help but let out a tiny laugh. 

“Right…well we’ll see. Goodnight Nicole, thanks again for helping me with all this.” Dolls held out his hand and Nicole took it gladly, she knew she would still see him again for the time being anyway but something about it felt final. Maybe the end of a work relationship and the start of something more, a real friendship. 

When Nicole neared the house she could see lights still on on the lower floor despite the late hour and both Waverly and Wynonna having been up since the crack of dawn. The idea that she had waited up for her spread a warmth through Nicole’s chest and settled deep in her stomach. Waverly was at the door waiting with it open as she crossed the driveway, already in pyjamas and wrapped in the blanket that usually lived on the couch. As soon as she was close enough Nicole pulled Waverly into a tight embrace and rested their foreheads together. 

Nicole didn’t need to say anything, Waverly could practically feel that a weight at been lifted off of Nicole’s shoulders as they hugged. She pulled them both properly inside and up the stairs, turning off lights as they went. Nicole paused briefly outside Amelia’s room and Waverly nodded knowing what Nicole needed, she watched from the door way as Nicole tiptoed towards Amelia’s bed and placed a gentle kiss onto the little girls forehead, followed by a soft scratch to the kittens head. It had curled up on the pillow beside Amelia as soon as Waverly had put her to bed and if she hadn’t been sure before that it was the perfect present before she was undoubtedly sure in that moment. 

Nicole pulled back and silently made her way to Waverly at the door, letting her gently close it behind them. With all the adrenaline and excitement of the day over, Nicole’s body was feeling like she was literally being pulled towards the ground and she collapsed on their bed thoroughly exhausted. Her mildly pathetic protests as Waverly began taking off her shoes and socks were silenced with a brief kiss before Waverly continued onto the rest of Nicole’s clothing, folding each piece neatly and setting it down before moving onto the next. It wasn’t that Waverly thought Nicole was so tired that she would have actually slept in her clothes or wouldn’t have eventually got up to undress herself, she just knew the toll that the past few months had taken on her. She didn’t bring it up often but Waverly could see it in her eyes even when she tried to cover up just how much Bobo still being out there bothered her. She couldn’t begin to imagine the weight it would have been to carry had they not been together, had Nicole not had someone to come home to like this, to feel safe and to forget about her worries for a while. Maybe Nicole would have met someone else or at least found someone she trusted in Purgatory to be there for her but Waverly was eternally grateful that it had been her. 

Waverly discarded her dressing gown as Nicole manoeuvred herself to the top of the bed, pulling the blankets down and holding them up for Waverly to crawl in beside her. Waverly wanted to ask Nicole everything, what had happened with whoever Bobo had tried to kill, _who_ he had tried to kill and how it had gone when they went to arrest him but her curiosity would still be there in the morning when Nicole would be more willing to get into it. She had a feeling that Nicole was about to have one of the best nights sleep she’d had in a long time and Waverly nestled herself as close as she could as Nicole’s breathing slowed before allowing herself to drift off.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Just one more chapter update for this fic. It will be more of an epilogue type chapter but I think you guys will like it!  
> Thank you all again for reading, commenting, adding kudos!


	19. Chapter 19

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Epilogue...

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Well here we are, the final chapter...for now! I still can't believe all of you felt my writing was worth your time but thank you all again, I hope you find this conclusion satisfying but by all means ask me any questions you have and I will try to answer them or I may just add it to my list of continuation one-shots for this AU that I will work on!

Waverly’s heart was racing, sweat starting to trickle down her brow, her breaths coming out in quick pants, thumping bass blasting into her ears and a massive grin on her face. It had been a month or so since the weather started warming and she could finally get back into her morning routine. This year she had set herself a goal, she wanted to best her times on her route each week and so far she was doing well. She slowed her pace as she came across the familiar tree with a painted white ‘X’ on it and glanced at her watch, she only had a little ways to go now she had passed it and she was well below her time for this time last week. Allowing herself to complete the path at a steady jog her mind wandered, as it often did when she was out here alone. Her and Nicole were going out that night, she didn’t know where and she was excited for the surprise. She would have liked some more information so she could plan but Nicole had insisted. 

It had been nearly a year since she had first laid eyes on the woman that would become so important to her on the very path she was currently on, there had been ups and downs in both of their lives since that moment but the one constant positive for both of them had been each other. With Bobo serving prison time somewhere far from Purgatory, the town had gone back to it’s relatively normal way of things and Sheriff Haught was doing an excellent job if Waverly said so herself. His men had moved on shortly after a guilty verdict was handed down to Bobo, without the safety net of his money and connections they wouldn’t risk staying in a town where the Sheriff had a very personal reason for wanting you arrested.

Waverly spent a lot more time around the station these days, dropping off lunch and coffee to her two favourite people. Wynonna had managed to keep her job after taking over from Agnes and according to Nicole was actually really good at it…when she didn’t turn up hungover as all hell. It didn’t necessarily surprise Waverly that Wynonna actually had a knack for dealing with both pleasant and not so pleasant townsfolk over the phones because when she set her mind to something, Waverly knew Wynonna could do anything. What did surprise her though was that she was still in Purgatory and still with no plans to leave. Well not permanently anyway…

Wynonna had taken a week off a month back, she told them she was going on a trip and wouldn’t tell anyone where she was going. It wasn’t until the morning she was supposed to leave that Waverly hid her car keys and wouldn’t give them back until she spilled the beans. Waverly literally squeaked when Wynonna revealed that she was going to visit Dolls. Naturally Wynonna told her not to read too much into it, she didn’t miss him or anything…how could she? He had only been gone a short while and Waverly placated her with a pat on the cheek and smug grin that told her sister she knew exactly how she felt. Dolls had hung around for a couple of weeks after Bobo’s arrest and then would come to town every now and again when his schedule allowed, totally for work and not because he wanted to see a certain fiery brunette. The excuse might have worked if he didn’t end up having breakfast with them all each morning when he stayed. Waverly would never say anything to Wynonna lest it scare her but she could see things with him were different, Wynonna would be in the best mood while he was in town and then sulk for days after he left. Waverly noticed the absolute lack of one night stands her sister got involved when he wasn’t around as well and as much as she wanted to ask her sister if that meant anything she kept her mouth shut. She would wait for Wynonna to say what they were, when and if she wanted to. 

Doc on the other hand, was not a subject that Waverly kept her mouth shut about it. She forced Wynonna to talk to him, explain that she didn’t want to keep seeing him in any way other than as friends. Since he had decided to set up shop permanently in Purgatory there really wasn’t any way they were going to avoid each other all the time and while it was a little awkward at first, they obviously spent time together in the first place because they enjoyed each others company and eventually they got back to that point. Doc even met someone new, a stunningly attractive women Rosita who had joined their strange little crew of people who didn’t fit in that well with the rest of the Purgatory social groups. Fortunately for Waverly they all started hanging out regularly, since she had a very big question she wanted to ask Doc. 

Gus had wanted an answer about Waverly taking over Shorty’s sooner than she could give it, she had applied for all the courses that she wanted to do but she still had to wait a few weeks before hearing back when Gus cornered her and begged for an answer. She insisted that if Waverly didn’t want to take over then she needed to start thinking about putting the place on the market. It was in that moment that Waverly made her decision, the idea of anyone else owning the bar had bugged her since Gus talked to her about it but actually hearing the words hit her like a punch in the gut. She agreed to take it over, on the condition that she could have someone basically do Gus’ job until she had more time to dedicate to it. Gus was skeptical until Waverly explained all about her plans to study. Then came the topic of who exactly would be looking after the place. Since getting to know Doc better, as a separate entity rather than an add on to Wynonna, Waverly learned that he had actually owned and operated a bar in his home town before picking up sticks to go travelling with no real final destination in sight. He adored the atmosphere and aesthetic of Shorty’s almost as much as Waverly and so to her, he was the perfect candidate and thankfully he agreed. He said, as long as he was needed he would take good care of the place and Waverly only needed to make final decisions regarding the running of the place. 

A couple months into her course she knew she had made the right decision as her studies took up more of her time than she had anticipated. That tends to happen when you decide to take two courses back to back but when she was accepted into both Ancient History _and_ Ancient Languages how was she supposed to choose? Nicole listened, constantly enthralled, as she went on and on about what she was learning and Waverly even started teaching Amelia about the less gruesome parts of her history courses. 

Just as her parked car came into view, her phone started to vibrate in the band strapped around her arm and she clicked the button on her headphones to answer the call. 

“Hey baby!” Nicole’s voice was a pleasant surprise, she didn’t expect her to call until she was on her way home which she didn’t think would be for another hour or so. 

“Hey!” Waverly stood next to her Jeep, attempting to get her breathing to a more suitable pace for having a phone conversation. “Sorry…just finished my run.” 

“I can tell!” Nicole laughed and Waverly could hear another person in the background giggling, Amelia. “We’re just about to meet Shae at the airport but Amelia wanted to say goodbye again before she left!” 

“I’ll miss you, Mama!” Amelia shouted so her voice would reach the phone, obviously still strapped into the back seat. Waverly never got tired of Amelia calling her that, it had taken a little while to get used to her using that instead of her name but she wouldn’t change it for anything. Amelia was about to head to Germany with Shae for two months and Waverly had been dreading thinking about how quiet it was going to be without her around the house most of the summer. “Don’t forget Calamity Jane likes the tuna fish food more than the chicken one!” Amelia had finally named her kitten a week after Christmas, they had been watching old movies with Gus and Amelia having no idea what the word calamity actually meant kept asking if it was a real name. Gus explained that it was the characters name and what the word actually meant. After the kitten managed to knock over the Christmas tree by running off with a cord of lights as they were taking all the decorations off Amelia decided the name was perfect. 

“Gonna miss you too, babygirl and of course I’ll remember!” Waverly said sincerely, of course it was going to be amazing to get to spend some uninterrupted, quality time with Nicole but she was going to miss Amelia. A lot. She could hear Amelia giggle happily at the use of her pet name, she’d only started using it more recently after Amelia told her she liked it when Wynonna called Waverly ‘babygirl’. “Take loads of pictures, I want to see them all when you get home! Have the best time ok?”

“I will! Bye!” Amelia shouted again and Waverly could hear as Nicole took the phone off loudspeaker and brought it up to her ear. 

“We’re gonna have to go but we’re still on for tonight, yeah?” Nicole sounded a little nervous, Waverly thought but brushed past it. Probably nervous about not seeing Amelia for so long after being practically inseparable for the best part of a year. 

“Of course, baby! I’ve been looking forward to it all week!” Waverly answered honestly, she had just submitted her first real piece of work for her course and with nothing else due for the next few months, actually having a night where they could go out and celebrate was just what Waverly and Nicole needed. 

“Good! I’ve told the station that I do not want to be interrupted tonight unless the town is literally about to be swallowed up by hell itself!” Nicole laughed and Waverly heard Amelia say something behind her. “Ok…Sweetie it’s not a bad word when you’re using it in that context…I’ll explain later ok…ok!” 

“I can’t wait until we get to start giving her into trouble for her use of language!” Waverly snickered down the phone. Amelia had become even more of a hardass when it came to chastising the occupants of their house for their use of bad language, with some pretty innocuous words coming under the umbrella of curse words thanks to kids at school telling her they were ‘naughty’ words. “She can be the one to explain to Wynonna that ‘hell’ is now banned in the house!” 

“Right?!” Nicole chuckled back. “I’ll see you in a few hours, unless you need to head to Shorty’s?” 

“I’ve got stock to do with Doc but I should be done by the time you get back, I’ll make lunch!” It should only take an hour or so but with the motivation of seeing Nicole for lunch, Waverly could probably get it done in under an hour. 

“You’re perfect, you know that?” Nicole sighed and Waverly broke out into a massive grin as she opened her car door and hopped up into the drivers seat. 

“So you keep saying! Now go, don’t want to keep Shae waiting!” Waverly caught her reflection in the rearview mirror as she hung up and laughed a little at how dopey her grin looked. She had never been this happy in her life and as Nicole liked to point out on a pretty regular basis, that was a crime because Waverly deserved all the happiness in the world. Waverly would probably not have agreed to such a sentiment a year earlier but now she was starting to believe that maybe she was finally getting what she was due. Even things with Shae were getting better for Nicole and in turn Waverly, Amelia’s weekly skype calls had turned into family events with everyone huddled around to speak to each other and catch up. They had all agreed that their main priority was Amelia and it made her insanely happy to see her parents and Waverly getting along so well. The calls would continue while Amelia was away and even though Waverly had just seen her last night, she couldn’t wait to see that smiling face again in less than a weeks time.

After getting home, taking the quickest shower of her life and jumping back in her car to head to Shorty’s Waverly was blasting through the weekly stock take with Doc. He would occasionally look at her from where he was standing in the cellar with an amused grin but Waverly didn’t notice. Far too focused on getting out of there and starting her day with Nicole. Waverly had been fast asleep when she left that morning, as was the plan seeing as her and Amelia needed to leave so early. She had hugged and kissed Amelia goodbye the night before, both her and Nicole settled either side of Amelia on the bed and read their last bedtime story together until she would be back. 

“In a hurry today are we?” Doc smirked from beside the kegs as he wrote down how many of each they still had and how many they needed to get in the next order. 

“Yeah…sorry. Nicole’s on her way back from the airport. Said I would make us lunch at home.” Waverly answered a little embarrassed that he had noticed her haste, surely not an exemplary trait for a boss to have. 

“Ah yes, little Haught is going to her mother’s. I can finish this up on my own if you’d like to head out? We’re pretty much finished anyway!” Doc used his clipboard to gesture just how little there was actually left to check and Waverly tried not to smile too much when she asked if he was sure. “Go on, now!” Doc laughed and then his expression turned serious, he looked like he wanted to say something but he held back. So unlike him not to say something that popped into his head but Waverly brushed it off, now she had time to pick up Nicole’s favourite on her way home. 

Waverly was so busy dancing and singing along to the radio in the kitchen that she didn’t hear Nicole come in, so when arms snaked around her waist from behind she literally screamed. A tiny scream but still a scream and then doubled over with laughter when she realised it was Nicole, who was now laughing uncontrollably as well.

Waverly tried to press for more details about their plans for the evening as they ate but Nicole’s lips were sealed. All she said was that their reservations were for seven o’clock, Waverly even tried her trademark pout to squeeze anything else out of her but Nicole just rolled her eyes. 

“Don’t you like surprises?” Nicole sighed, picking up Waverly’s plate from the table and starting on the dishes. She had to turn away to hide the excited smile that was beginning to show on her face, she didn’t want Waverly having anymore reason to press her for details. 

“Nicole, you know I’m a planner.” Waverly groaned and leaned her head against Nicole’s back. “Is it somewhere fancy? Like should I dress up or…” 

“Uh uh…not getting anything out of me, baby!” Nicole laughed, knowing exactly what Waverly was doing. “Wear whatever you feel like, ok?” 

“Whatever I feel like, huh?” Waverly dropped her voice, low and sultry and she heard Nicole take in a deep breath and exhale it through her nose slowly. Waverly walked her fingers up the length of Nicole’s arm, to her neck and thread her fingers into her hair. “So if I were to wear that lace number you like so much and only that, that’d be ok?” Nicole wiped her hands quickly on the towel beside the sink and spun around to pull Waverly into her. 

“Well…it would be more than ok by me but maybe _not_ the general public? Maybe you could wear it underneath…” Nicole licked her lips, images of Waverly in that sensational outfit filling her mind. “and then I can enjoy it when we get home?” Nicole asked hopefully, praying that her keeping secrets about tonight wouldn’t lead Waverly to punish her in the most cruel way imaginable. Waverly leaned up and pressed her lips to Nicole’s, pushing her against the counter. 

“I’ll think about it…” Waverly mumbled in between kisses and Nicole wished she could tell her why she knew Waverly would want to be wearing it later but she couldn’t, everything had to be perfect and keeping Waverly in the dark was just how it had to be. Nicole could feel Waverly’s body bending into hers, the familiar way just before she wanted to have Nicole and as much as Nicole wanted that…god did she want that, she also wanted to wait. If Waverly was feeling like this now, making her wait for it was going to be the most magnificent torture. 

Making Waverly wait for it was apparently going to be harder than Nicole imagined, with the house empty except for the two of them until Wynonna got home from work, Waverly was practically jumping her at every conceivable moment. Nicole decided to get home house work done, clearing dust off the top of the bookshelf in the living room and Waverly attacked her exposed stomach with kisses. Loading washing into the dryer and Waverly pressed herself against Nicole as she bent over. Washing her cruiser and Waverly peeled off Nicole’s top after it got a little soaked, letting her fingers graze slowly and beautifully up and along her sides as she did so. Nicole was no longer sure who she was trying to torture, Waverly or herself. Nicole let out an internal scream of celebration when Wynonna got back from work and managed to distract Waverly long enough that Nicole could compose herself upstairs. 

Nicole got showered and dressed while Waverly was being filled in on all the gossip Wynonna had picked up that day, normally Nicole would remind her that most of what was being shared was confidential but anything to keep Waverly occupied. She didn’t want to risk Waverly and her getting ready in the same space, Nicole didn’t think she’d be able to control herself any longer. She’d picked up a new outfit especially for this night months ago, she’d tried it on multiple times just to make sure it was perfect and hidden it as far back in the closet as possible hoping that Waverly wouldn’t notice it. Waverly had mentioned once that she’d love to see Nicole in a suit and if tonight wasn’t the perfect night to give her what she wanted, she didn’t know when would be. Wynonna saw her as she came down the stairs first, eyes shooting wide and letting out a low whistle. 

“Holy shit!” Wynonna remarked as Waverly’s head slowly turned to see what had got her sisters attention. Waverly’s eyes went wide and she couldn’t help but bring her bottom lip between her teeth, fighting off the need to literally moan at the sight of her girlfriend. She decided right there and then that she was indeed going to be wearing exactly what Nicole wanted underneath her outfit tonight. 

“How you imagined it?” Nicole asked Waverly even though she already knew the answer, she could see the fire burning behind Waverly’s eyes. Waverly got up from her seat and walked towards Nicole, eyes taking in every single detail. The crisp white shirt cuffs folded over the fitted jackets sleeves, the trousers that hugged her perfectly and landed just above her ankles and the small heels that brought the whole outfit together. Waverly would need to crane her neck a little higher to reach for a kiss but it would be absolutely worth it. 

“So. Much. Sexier.” Waverly ran her hands down the thin black tie, straightening it just ever so slightly. “Do we have to go out tonight?” 

“And have her waste that outfit just on us?!” Wynonna chimed in from behind the pair and when Waverly shot her a glare Nicole mouthed ‘thank you’ to her. Wynonna waited until Waverly had returned her gaze to Nicole before winking back at her. 

“Fine…” Waverly pouted and lifted herself on to her tip toes to press a quick kiss to Nicole’s lips. “I’m going to go get ready!” Waverly sped off up the stairs. Nicole and Wynonna waited until they could hear Waverly singing in the shower before discussing Wynonna’s role for the evening. 

“I’m nervous…” Nicole admitted after her and Wynonna had finished going over the plan again. 

“Is that why it’s taken you so long to actually do this?” Wynonna asked and for once she wasn’t being sarcastic or trying to make Nicole feel anything other than her actual curiosity. “Gus said you’ve been planning this for quite a while!” 

“Partly…I just needed to know for sure this was really what she wanted.” Nicole started fiddling with her tie, Wynonna stilled her hands and looked her right in the eye. 

“I know she does!” Wynonna smiled and pulled Nicole into a hug. The two had become closer than either of them would have imagined. Working in the same building almost every day and living under the same roof, it could have gone either way but both of them were really glad they didn’t end up hating each others guts. Waverly’s feet hitting the top stair alerted them to her presence in just enough time for Wynonna to give her a supportive squeeze of her shoulders and a nod before they broke a part. Nicole didn’t have long to admire Waverly’s wardrobe choice for the night, even though it was spectacular, since Gus pulled up outside an hour earlier than planned and Waverly’s eyebrows knotted in confusion. 

“Gus didn’t mention she’d be round this evening…” Waverly said to no one in particular as both Wynonna and Nicole started silently freaking out behind her. Nicole eyes screamed ‘help’ and Wynonna sprung into action. 

“Oh yeah, we’re having dinner. She’s a bit early, probably just didn’t say anything since she knew you guys had plans tonight…” Wynonna lied easily and went to the front door hoping to catch Gus’ eye before she started unloading anything from her truck. “Hey, Gus! You’re early!” Nicole tried to distract Waverly hoping she wouldn’t be able to tell the way Wynonna spoke through gritted teeth. She ran her hands down her waist admiring the dress she picked out, it was a gorgeous crimson colour and Nicole wondered if she’d dressed to compliment Nicole’s outfit. Her hands stopped as she felt the outlines of Waverly’s underwear, unmistakably the set that she had surprised Nicole with all those months ago. Nicole sighed as she pulled Waverly in for a kiss, tonight was going to be a night to remember for more than one reason. 

“I wanted it to be a surprise but I guess now you can think about how amazing I look underneath this dress. All. Night. Long.” Waverly kissed the tip of Nicole’s nose with a smirk and Nicole groaned. 

“As if I don’t spend most of my days thinking about that…” Nicole said, truthfully, which earned her another kiss. This one more urgent and only broken when Gus cleared her throat behind them. “Sorry!” Nicole blushed and smoothed down the parts of Waverly’s dress she had bunched into her hands as they embraced. She noticed Gus came into the house empty handed and breathed a sigh of relief that Waverly clearly mistook for frustration over their kiss being cut short by the smug look on her face, which worked out just fine for Nicole. 

“So what are you guys having for dinner?” Waverly asked as she wrapped her arm around Nicole’s waist. 

“Pizza.”  
“Pasta.” Wynonna and Gus answered at the same time and then glared at each other. 

“Ok…” Waverly said clearly confused. 

“Uh, we better get going baby! Don’t want to miss our reservation!” Nicole kissed the top of Waverly’s head as she shot daggers at Gus and Wynonna for being so weird. “Bye guys, have a good night! Remember to feed Calamity, Wynonna!” They said goodbye and then heaved a sigh when they were gone. 

“You told me to come at six!” Gus scolded Wynonna as they made their way out to her truck after the pair had driven away. 

“Hey, why would you listen to me? Nicole told me she told you seven!” Wynonna defended herself, hauling a couple of bags out the bed of the truck and heading into the barn. 

 

Waverly eyes softened as they pulled up to the restaurant, they had driven for nearly forty minutes and Waverly was really hoping that this was where they were headed. She reached over to squeeze Nicole’s thigh as she smiled at her, Waverly had been talking about going there for months. A few people in town had made the trip and Waverly had been dying to try it ever since she heard about it. 

“Thank goodness you’ve got that Sheriff money coming in, huh?” Waverly laughed as they checked over the menu, no one had mentioned just how expensive the place actually was. Nicole knew of course, she had looked over the menu quite a few times online making sure that this was definitely where she wanted to take Waverly. After they had ordered and Waverly triple checked with Nicole that her telling Waverly to order whatever she wanted actually stood, she took hold of Nicole’s hand over the table. “Thank you for bringing me here, it smells amazing!” She wasn’t lying, the air was filled with an assortment of aromas that made Nicole’s mouth water every time she took a breath in through her nose.

“I’d take you anywhere you want to go, baby!” Nicole beamed at Waverly from across the table and she held her gaze hoping to convey just how true that statement was. They got lost in conversation after that, talking about how Shae was when Nicole saw her, how bittersweet it was that Amelia was gone for so long and how Nicole was genuinely surprised that not one call had come through from work yet. The last three dates they had been on had been interrupted by calls from the station, luckily only one of them had actually cut the date short. Lonnie had somehow managed to misplace the keys to the holding cell and Nicole had the only spare. 

Their food arrived and as expected it was absolutely fantastic, the sounds coming from Waverly as she tasted her food triggering another hunger inside of Nicole. Waverly got very embarrassed when she realised just how loud she had moaned but Nicole thought it was adorable and totally sexy. 

They made their way back to the car totally stuffed and Nicole was thankful for the long drive home, she had managed to quickly text Wynonna when Waverly used the restroom before leaving to let her know they were on their way back. Getting a string of replies ranging from, ‘Oh shit, we better hurry up and get started.’ to ‘Just kidding, it’s totally ready!’ and finally ‘You got this, Haught!’. Nicole was beaming when Waverly returned but she was able to brush it off as excitement for the rest of their evening and getting Waverly out of that dress. Not that she didn’t totally plan on doing that as well but there were more important things to handle first. 

“You ok, baby? You’re awfully quiet.” Waverly reached across and took Nicole’s hand, Nicole hadn’t realised how little she had spoken since they left the restaurant until Waverly asked that. 

“Uh yeah, just a little tired…early start today and all.” Even though she was protecting the surprise, she still hated lying to Waverly. She squeezed Waverly’s hand once and kept it in her own, there was only a little ways left to drive until they were home and Nicole’s nerves were worse than ever. The rational part of her brain was telling her that there was no way Waverly would say anything other than yes but there was also the absolutely terrifying fear that she might. She wasn’t even half as nervous to ask Shae, maybe because it was the first time she had done it and it was exciting and new but this was different and Nicole knew why. If Waverly said no, she would be beyond crushed. She wouldn’t know what to do with herself, not after Waverly. There was no moving on from that for Nicole. 

“Well you’re off tomorrow too, right?” Waverly asked and Nicole nodded, keeping her attention on the road as they passed the broken piece of fencing along the side of the road that indicated they were less than five minutes away from the house. “So tomorrow we can sleep in for as long as you like! Maybe I’ll even make you breakfast in bed!” 

“That would be amazing!” Nicole sighed, it had been so long since they had managed to sleep in. Work got in the way or Amelia needed to go to school or wanted to go to the park. She was already looking forward to it, hopefully basking in the bliss of what tonight would bring. Waverly leaned over the car and pressed her lips to Nicole’s cheek softly before sitting back down properly in her seat. 

As they turned onto the driveway Nicole released Waverly’s hand from hers as she could tell they were about to become very clammy. Her heart was pounding out of her chest and she prayed to god that Waverly could not tell how anxious she was. Nicole didn’t park in her usual spot, instead she parked beside the barn and when they got out of the car Waverly questioned why she had done so. 

“Just come with me for a sec, yeah?” Nicole held out her hand for Waverly to take, clamminess be damned. With a question obviously burning on her tongue and a furrowed brow she took Nicole’s hand and followed her through the doors. 

“Oh my god.” Waverly said almost so quiet that Nicole didn’t hear it but she did, just. Wynonna and Gus had done amazingly, it was exactly how Nicole had wanted it. There were fairy lights strung up along all the beams, she had wanted candles but in a barn this old the fire hazard was just too big. It worked exactly how Nicole had hoped, they looked like they were standing underneath the most amazing night sky. In the centre of the barn there was a picnic blanket with a bottle of champagne chilling in a bucket of ice with two glasses set beside it. 

“Nicole…what is this?” Waverly’s heart was in her mouth, she could feel her hand shaking in Nicole’s grip and it only got worse when Nicole let go to beckon her towards the blanket. Where she immediately got down on one knee. “Oh my god.” 

“Waverly Earp, the first time I ever saw you running towards me I tripped and nearly fell straight on my face. You didn’t notice and I know that because well one you’ve never mentioned it but also because you would have immediately stopped to check that I was alright. You took my breath away from the moment I laid eyes on you and the first time that we actually spoke I was sure my heart had stopped beating. The first time you kissed me I decided that I would rather my heart actually did stop beating than kiss anyone else, ever again.” Nicole paused, taking a deep breath and watching as Waverly hung on every word she was saying. She had practiced this over and over on her drive back from the airport, she even told Shae what she was going to do while Amelia was distracted. Shae hugged her and told her she was happy for her and Nicole believed every word. “I never thought I was going to meet anyone that would make me want to do this again but then I never imagined meeting anyone like you! The way you care for Amelia, as if she was your own, the way you take care of everyone around you so selflessly even though you have every right to be bitter about the hand this world dealt you makes me love you more every single day. I cant spend one more day with you not knowing, without a shadow of a doubt, that I want this forever, I want you forever if you’ll have me. Waverly Earp, will you marry me?” Nicole finished and held her breath, she wanted to congratulate herself on remembering everything she wanted to say but it was too soon. Waverly was standing in front of her in silence, tears slowly finding paths down her cheeks but she lunged forward and wrapped her arms around Nicole. Kissing her over and over from her lips, to her cheeks, to her neck and her forehead. She pulled back and stared at Nicole with the most magnificent smile she has ever seen and Nicole finally released the breath she was holding. 

“Of course I will! Yes!” Waverly beamed as she wiped a tear away from her cheek. 

“Good, cause that speech took me about two days to memorise and it would have been really embarrassing…” Nicole didn’t get to finish because Waverly’s lips landed on her own, the kiss was deep and passionate and there was something else there too. Something new. Nicole laughed softly into it, she didn’t think she’d ever felt so high in her life.

“What took you so long?” Waverly sighed as she rest her forehead against Nicole’s, a dopey love sick grin plastered on her face. 

“You know, you could have asked me?” Nicole teased as she rubbed her nose into Waverly’s before letting her lips land there for just a second. 

“Are you saying you didn’t want to be the one to do this?” Waverly raised an eyebrow, begging Nicole to tell her differently but she already knew that she couldn’t. 

“Yeah ok…you’re right!” Nicole chuckled and pulled away from Waverly to grab the bottle of champagne, opening it in one fluid motion. 

“I’m always right!” Waverly winked, she grabbed the two glasses and held them up for Nicole to fill. Nicole set down the bottle back in the bucket of ice but before she took the glass that Waverly was holding out for her she reached forward and wiped the last lingering tear from Waverly’s cheek. Waverly smiled softly at the action and forced the glass into Nicole’s hand with fake frustration. “I want to toast!” 

“Sorry baby.” Nicole mumbled as her hand wrapped around the stem before leaning in and capturing Waverly’s lips in a short chaste kiss. “To us!” Nicole nodded with brightest smile and Waverly repeated it after her like a prayer. “Oh my god!” Nicole rolled her eyes at herself because how could she not do this properly, after the months and months of thinking about it, planning it and making sure that everything would be perfect. 

“What?” Waverly asked after quickly swallowing the mouthful of champagne. Nicole laughed at how panicked Waverly looked, she reached slowly into her pocket and produced a ring box. Shaking it in her hand and shaking her head. “Oh.” 

“How could I forget this part?” Nicole laughed again, she opened the box and delicately took the ring out before discarding the box behind her, hitting the ground with a gentle thud. Waverly giggled as she stretched out her hand, her eyes scanned over it as Nicole slowly pushed the ring along her finger. She had worn rings most of her life but this ring felt different as it found its resting place, like it had enveloped her entire body in an embrace. It looked so familiar and a memory from her childhood came rushing back, one she hadn’t thought of for years. 

She had just moved in with Gus and Curtis, she was sitting on Gus’ knee after having cried for hours because Wynonna was still not there with her. She was getting spoken to by doctor after doctor, Waverly didn’t really understand at the time what was happening. All she knew was that she needed her sister and she wasn’t there but Gus was there. Making her feel safe and holding her and Waverly’s eyes were drawn to her hand, to her wedding and engagement rings. Gus noticed her looking and told her the story of how Curtis saved up for three whole months just to buy that ring, the first three months of their relationship because he knew even then that Gus was the one for him. She kept talking, realizing it was calming Waverly down, about how at first Gus didn’t know if she wanted to say yes because they were young and Curtis had the eye of so many young women so why should he settle for Gus but then she realised he wasn’t settling. Not at all, because he didn’t even notice all the others, he only had eyes for her. Waverly’s fingers traced over the ring and she told Gus that she loved it and how she hoped some day her engagement ring would be half as beautiful. 

The ring on her finger was not half as beautiful, it was that exact ring. Not a copy and she knew because she could see the little imperfections that had come with a life of wearing it and working with your hands. She ran her finger over it just the same as she had when she was young and her tears started all over again. Nicole’s hand took hers and she looked up to see Nicole’s shy smile. 

“I was a couple towns over and I bumped into Gus, _literally_ bumped into her as I left what felt like the millionth jewelry store where I couldn’t find the right ring. She knew what I was doing before I could even try and come up with a believable lie…I told her how much trouble I was having finding the right ring, the _perfect_ ring because it had to be y’know?” Nicole smiled as Waverly’s eyes moved upwards to meet hers and she nodded because of course Nicole needed it to be perfect, this whole night had been perfect. “She told me how much you loved the ring Curtis proposed with and she offered it to me on the spot. I tried telling her no, that I would find the right one eventually but she wouldn’t take no for an answer.” 

“Of course not.” Waverly laughed, she couldn’t believe it but then there was a part of her that could because Gus had been so god damn excited for Nicole to propose that she would have given her anything to encourage her to just do it already. “It is perfect.” Waverly wiped away the fresh tears and pulled Nicole down to her, into a tight embrace. Nicole was perfect. Not that she didn’t have flaws or little quirks that annoyed Waverly sometimes, not that Waverly loved how she managed to find her socks literally everywhere around the house or how she always, always put things in the oven without preheating it or how when she had a cold she would snore the whole house down but she was perfect in every single way that mattered. 

“I can hear you guys standing there!” Nicole’s voice was a little loud against Waverly’s ear and she instantly realised, placing a small kiss to Waverly ear as she pulled back to speak again. “Are you gonna come in or what?” Waverly turned her head just as Gus and Wynonna edged their way into the barn, eager faces scanning the scene before them. Waverly held up her hand to show off the new addition to her finger and they both practically screamed with joy. She held the same hand over her heart and mouthed the words ‘thank you’ to Gus as she watched her wipe a tear from under her eye. They would talk about it later and Waverly would make absolutely sure that Gus was ok with it, she knew how much it meant to have something Curtis gave her always on her person. 

Wynonna reached down behind a box near the door and produced another champagne glass and a bottle of whiskey she had stored for the inevitable celebration. She walked over and pulled both Waverly and Nicole into a tight hug. 

“Congratulations babygirl!” She whispered into Waverly’s ear and when she pulled back Waverly was sure there were tears threatening to roll down her face so to save Wynonna from herself she clinked her champagne glass against her bottle of whiskey to encourage her to take a drink, not that she really needed the encouragement. Nicole pulled the bottle from the bucket and filled the extra glass that was now in Gus’ hand. Gus raised the glass with a smile. 

“Welcome to the family, Nicole!” Gus beamed and they all drank. 

“Sure you can handle it?” Wynonna teased throwing a soft punch to Nicole’s shoulder with a wink. 

“Yeah.” Nicole said, not taking her eyes off of Waverly as they looked into each others souls. She had never been more sure of anything in her life. “Absolutely!”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Look out for my high school AU, I think I'll begin posting in the next couple of weeks. I want to have most of it finished before I start posting as it's going to have a slightly different format than this fic.
> 
> Again thank you for reading and if you're not already subscribed to this fic, please do if you would like to be notified when I get round to posting updates on this lil family's future :)


	20. Chapter 20

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Waverly and Nicole take a trip to the city for the night. (set roughly a year after the end of the last chapter)

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So I definitely didn't think I'd be adding to this so soon but I wrote this the other day and I thought I'd post it! Just some more of these two being totally in love with each other!  
> I've finished writing my High School AU so I'll probably be working on a few more of these little one shots now. Enjoy!

“And you’re sure you want to go?” Nicole was standing in front of the mirror in their modest hotel room, she’d fixed her hair and done her minimal make-up twice now. After the first time, Waverly had walked out of the shower, robe hanging open and Nicole simply couldn’t stop herself from pulling Waverly into her with a devilish smile and ruined it all after literally just finishing, not that she minded in the slightest though. Amelia was with Shae in Berlin, Nicole had taken a few days off work and Waverly had just completed her studies by correspondents. They had complete freedom for a short time and they’d taken off to the city, booked a hotel and were now finally ready to head out for the evening to celebrate Waverly being the recipient of not one but two degrees. 

“Yes! Nicole, I’m so excited!” Waverly came up behind her and smiled through the mirror at Nicole. She really did look excited. Nicole hadn’t been to a gay bar since before she’d even met Shae but when she heard that Waverly had never been to one at all, she knew she absolutely had to remedy that. 

Waverly was totally in her element, dancing and singing along to every single song that played. Nicole quickly realised that she felt a little less comfortable than she used to in these types of places. She’d always been single and looking when she would frequent her old local gay club. Waverly had joked the whole cab ride over that the real reason she needed to come and experience one was just in case she got a better offer than Nicole before they got they actually got married. Nicole knew she was joking but the way plenty of the women and a couple of the guys in the club were looking at Waverly, Nicole would bet that had Waverly shown up there unattached she would have definitely found someone interested. She probably still would. 

Nicole split her attention while she stood at the bar waiting to be served, between Waverly happily dancing alone and the young bartender paying her absolutely no attention. He’d been in a conversation with an attractive young man the entire time she had been stood there. Nicole was positive that he wasn’t old enough to even be in the building and Nicole so badly wanted to slap down her badge on the bar just so she could get served already. She wasn’t working though and even if she was, this wasn’t her town and she was definitely a little passed tipsy already. 

Another bartender started working and thankfully served Nicole straight away. She ordered her and Waverly’s drinks and tipped the woman well since without her she would have still been standing there waiting. Poor girl was probably going to end up serving most of the customers herself, if her colleague had his way and got paid to flirt with cute guys all night, Nicole felt she might as well make it a little easier to deal with. 

She made her way back over to where she’d left Waverly and noticed that her fiancé had managed to attract an admirer. Smiling and chatting happily with the blonde who reminded Nicole a lot of herself when she was a regular in gay clubs. Confidence galore, a total flirt and unashamedly sure that if she’d wanted to, she could take anyone home with her. Nicole caught Waverly’s eye as she was closing in and winked even though inside she could feel a slight hint of jealousy spiking. She didn’t have to worry about people flirting with Waverly at home, everyone and their aunt knew that her and Nicole were together and no one, no matter how drunk, was foolish enough to try and flirt with the Sheriff’s wife-to-be. This was not Purgatory though and Waverly was a new face in the crowd that would definitely stick out. Waverly looked phenomenal most of the time but tonight she really was something to see. 

Nicole handed off the beer to Waverly as she wrapped an arm around her waist and kissed her gently on the cheek while Waverly thanked her. Nicole couldn’t help herself, she smiled at the woman, obviously vying for Waverly’s attention and Waverly, totally oblivious to the way the woman’s mood had swiftly changed tried to introduce her to Nicole. 

“This is…oh.” As Waverly turned from smiling up at Nicole, the woman quickly took her leave. “Where’s she going?” 

“I think I scared her off, baby.” Nicole smirked and pulled Waverly in for a kiss, tasting something sickly sweet on her tongue as she deepened it. “Did she buy you a drink?” 

“Just a shot…it was cherry or raspberry or something!” Waverly licked her lips, trying to remember but all she could taste was the beer from Nicole’s lips. 

“Did you tell her you were engaged?” Nicole raised an eyebrow to Waverly who simply shook her head, confused. 

“Why would I tell her that? I literally only just met her…” Waverly rolled her eyes, of course she was incredibly proud to call Nicole her fiancé but it wasn’t like she told every kind stranger that she was engaged. 

“She was flirting with you…” Nicole began to sway her hips slowly, taking Waverly’s with her as she splayed a hand against the small of her back, holding her close. “I could tell from the other side of the dancefloor.” 

Their leisurely sway was too slow compared to everyone else dancing around them but neither seemed to mind as they leaned closely into the others ear to be heard over the music.

“No she wasn’t…” Waverly pulled back and looked at Nicole’s face. She tried not to look too much like she was feeling sorry for Waverly not even noticing but she failed and Waverly produced her most adorable pout as she slapped Nicole gently on her shoulder. It earned her a quiet laugh from Nicole as she pulled Waverly back into her and they resumed their easy sway. 

“Everyone here is checking you out, baby.” Nicole whispered delicately against her ear, just loud enough for Waverly to hear but breathy enough that it garnered the response Nicole was hoping for. It did and Waverly pushed herself closer to Nicole, connecting them together in all the places possible as they moved face to face. “I’m just glad that you’re all mine!” Nicole spoke slowly, leaving a trail of kisses down Waverly’s neck in the wake of her words. 

 

After a while they moved to a table towards the edge of the dancefloor, Waverly needed a rest from her heels and Nicole was definitely needing a break from standing so close to Waverly if her fiancé wanted to stretch the night out and not head back to their hotel immediately. Nicole may have suggested a quick trip to the bathroom together if she was a little more drunk and almost as if Waverly could read her mind she took off to the bar to get them each another drink. 

Waverly returned from the bar, shaking her head with a mischievous grin on her face. She handed Nicole a napkin with a phone number written on it and Nicole couldn’t help but roll her eyes. 

“I told you everyone was checking you out!” Nicole insisted with a raise to her brow. 

“That’s not for me!” Waverly sang as she sat down beside her, pushing the beer bottle towards Nicole and pointing the top of her own towards the bar. The woman who had served Nicole earlier was smiling shyly and offering Nicole a small wave that Nicole instinctively returned. “Someone thinks you’re cute…” 

“And let me guess, you didn’t tell her we were engaged either?” Nicole groaned, she was positive that Waverly was having far too much fun with this. 

“Nope!” Waverly smiled sweetly after popping the ‘p’. She was definitely having fun. 

“Why not?” Nicole shook her head, laughing at how ridiculous the woman she loved was. 

“Because I think it’s funny that you get jealous when there are just as many people here who are checking you out!” Waverly gestured wildly around the room and flashed Nicole a smirk. 

“I’m not jealous.” Nicole pouted and Waverly doubled over with laughter. “I’m just…protective…” 

“Of course you are baby. The most protective!” Waverly pushed herself closer into Nicole’s space, leaning in towards her ear. “Now tell me, if you had to…who would you go home with tonight?” 

“What?!” Nicole stared blankly at Waverly, she couldn’t believe she had just asked her that. “I’d go home with you!” 

“No, that’s no fun! If you'd never met me and we weren’t getting married in…” Waverly quickly pulled out Nicole’s phone from her pocket, it was just a little after midnight. “In exactly four weeks to the day!” Waverly squeaked and Nicole moved in to kiss her quickly with a lovesick grin on her face. "So?" Waverly asked as she pulled back from the kiss, tapping her finger against the tip of Nicole's nose once. 

“Waves…” Nicole didn’t like where it sounded like Waverly was going. 

“Come on, if you never met me, who here would be someone you’d flirt with?” Waverly scanned round the room and pointed to a tall, slim brunette in a dark blue button down, short curly hair and a thick-rimmed pair of glasses. “I would definitely talk to her!” 

“She’s not really my type but it’s good to know you have one!” Nicole laughed and Waverly looked at her quizzically. “Tall, athletic…” Nicole waved a hand in front of her own body with a wink and Waverly seemed to get it. 

“Oh! I guess I do!” She laughed and then continued with her scan around the room. “What about her?” She’d pointed at someone that from all basic descriptors would be Waverly. Slightly below average height, long flowing hair, clothes that showed off her figure and Nicole tried to really think about. Would she actually go up and talk to her if she had never met Waverly…maybe she would but if she was being honest, she couldn’t even picture it when she had Waverly, _her_ Waverly pressed up against her side and her breath warm on her cheek. 

“I don’t know, maybe…Waves, I don’t like this game! I don’t want to think about never having met you, not marrying you, not being with you, even if we are just playing hypotheticals!” Nicole said honestly, she never wanted to think about what her life would be like now without Waverly at her side. 

“You, Nicole Haught, are far too good!” Waverly smiled and placed a kiss just on the corner of Nicole’s mouth.

“Or…I’m just hopelessly in love with you!” Nicole smiled wide, knowing full well that it was the absolute truth. 

“Well obviously that too!” Waverly rolled her eyes and took a drink from her beer before leaning her head on Nicole’s shoulder and stifling a yawn. 

“Do you want to head back to the hotel?” Nicole ran her hand soothingly up and down Waverly arm, Nicole hadn’t been out like this in years and honestly she was ready to curl up in bed and she had a feeling Waverly was too. 

“Not just yet…I want to see how long it takes for them to kiss each other!” Waverly pointed across the room towards the bar where two young guys were standing. They were clearly interested in each other but both of them looked absolutely terrified to make the first move. 

“Some people would consider that creepy, babe.” Nicole leaned her head down to rest softly against Waverly’s but watched the pair anyway. 

“I just love, love!” Waverly defended herself and interlaced their fingers together. 

“It could just be lust…” Nicole suggested but Waverly shook her head gently. 

“No way, look at his eyes! They know each other, they’ve met before tonight…maybe they didn’t know the other was gay!” Waverly countered, Nicole was constantly impressed by Waverly’s ability to read people and Nicole had to admit it did look like they actually knew each other. 

They agreed to stay until they’d finished their drinks and if either of the guys hadn’t made their move by then they would just have to leave and hope that one of them worked up the courage before the end of the night. 

Just as Nicole finished the last of her beer, Waverly gripped her knee tight and her attention was brought back towards where the two had been standing awkwardly for the last twenty minutes. 

“He’s gonna do it!” Waverly whispered, practically shaking with excitement as one of them moved just a fraction of an inch closer to the other. He toyed with the collar of the others shirt before trailing his finger lightly along his jaw and leaned in. “Woo..” Nicole immediately clasped her hand over Waverly’s mouth to stop her finishing her holler of excitement and Waverly couldn’t help but laugh at herself. “Sorry, ok we can go now!” Waverly stood, held out her hand for Nicole and they made their way to the cloakroom. 

While Nicole waited for their jackets to be retrieved, Waverly told her she’d be back in just a second and rushed back into the main area of the club. She caught the bartenders attention, passed her a bill and told her to buy the two guys one of whatever they were drinking each before waving and heading back to Nicole who now had their jackets in hand. 

They made their way outside and started walking back towards their hotel, agreeing to stop somewhere to grab some snacks before trying to flag a cab. Nicole looked down at Waverly who was walking with a giant grin plastered on her face. 

“You bought them both a drink didn’t you?” Nicole asked, not really needed a confirmation because of course Waverly did. 

“Maybe…” Waverly shrugged her shoulder as she swung their hands between them. Nicole pulled them to a stop and gently tugged Waverly into her, running a hand slowly down Waverly cheek. 

“I love you.” Nicole said as a smile stretched across her face. She'd never get tired of saying those three simple words to Waverly. 

“Four weeks, Nicole!” Waverly squealed and wrapped her arms around Nicole’s neck, pulling her down into an intense kiss. 

“Four weeks!” Nicole repeated against her lips and she couldn’t wait.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Is a Wayhaught wedding something you’d like me to give a go? I wasn’t totally sure about writing it but if people would like to read it, I’ll definitely try and see what I can come up with. 
> 
> If you do want to check out my other AU, I've already posted a few chapters. Do take note of the content notes I have added to the first chapter as it is most definitely not going to be for everyone, it covers a few pretty serious topics but within that there is obviously the story of Waverly and Nicole finding each other so if it's things you are alright reading about then I hope you find it a worthwhile read.


	21. Chapter 21

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Did someone say wedding?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So...a few of you mentioned you wanted a Wayhaught wedding, right? 
> 
> Why? I'll never know ;) but here you guys are anyway! 
> 
> Seriously though, I've had this written for ages and decided that it was probably time to edit it and get it out to you guys! So since I'm on holiday from work this week, I took a little break from the current fic I'm writing and ta-da! I really hope you guys enjoy, it's just fluff, fluff and more fluff but hey there's nothing wrong with a bit of fluff!

"I'm nervous Wynonna…" Waverly was stood, a vision in white, in front of the full-length mirror in her room. Wynonna locked eyes with her sister through it and she thought her little sister looked like she might actually throw up. "What if I'm making a mistake?" 

"You have got to be kidding me…" Wynonna groaned, she couldn't believe it. First Nicole and now Waverly. These two idiots loved each other, why on earth did she have to deal with a freak out from both of them in the space of a couple hours? 

"I'm serious, Wynonna. She's already been married once, and it didn't work out…by the sound of it, things went downhill as soon as they got married!" Waverly turned to fully face Wynonna, panic written all over her. Wynonna took a few steps forward and placed a hand gently on either side of Waverly's face. 

"Babygirl…we have to leave in like ten minutes, you cannot seriously be about to call this whole thing off?" Wynonna wasn't going to force Waverly to do anything she didn't want to do, not like the conversation she had with Nicole a little more than an hour ago. There was absolutely no way Nicole was walking away from her sister on what was supposed to be the happiest day of her life but if Waverly wanted to walk away…well Wynonna wouldn't understand it, but she would support her, no matter how much it would suck. 

"I don't know…" Waverly looked like she was about to cry but Wynonna narrowed her eyes as a smile started to tug at the corner of Waverly's mouth. She narrowed them further still when it looked like Waverly was purposefully trying to stop it from growing. 

"Oh…screw you!" Wynonna took a step back, figuring out exactly what Waverly was doing. Her sister's smile took over her face and she burst out laughing. 

"I'm sorry…we had to!" Waverly managed to speak in between fits of laughter. 

"We?!" Wynonna demanded, hands on her hips. "Nicole's freak out was totally fake too?!" 

"Yeah." Waverly sighed as she dabbed at the corners of her eyes, hoping she hadn't ruined the make-up she'd spent all morning trying to get perfect. "She said you were very disappointed in her for even doubting getting married for a second, who knew you thought so much me?" Waverly winked, and Wynonna simply shook her head, she couldn't believe she'd been played by both of them. They were supposed to be her best friends, for god's sake. 

"So, you're not nervous?" Wynonna asked, she had to be absolutely certain after being taken for a ride twice in one day. She thought she had the easiest job in the world, get Waverly to the ceremony and then she could just get drunk and enjoy the rest of the day. She didn't think she'd have to deal with more emotional turmoil than simply forcing herself not to cry as Waverly walked down the aisle. 

"Of course, I'm nervous! I'm nervous I'm gonna cry as soon as I see Nicole. I'm nervous I'm not going to be able to speak and actually say my vows but nervous about marrying Nicole?" Waverly smiled so beautifully that Wynonna was already fighting back tears, it was not going to be an easy day for her. "Not at all!" 

"Good, cause if I had to choose between the two of you after the shit the both of you just pulled, I don't know that either of you would win!" Wynonna lightly shoved her little sister and Waverly laughed. Waverly turned back around, gave herself a final once over in the mirror before declaring that she was ready to leave. 

 

They decided against the traditional wedding routine of walking down the aisle with a father or father figure, even though Nedley had offered to walk Nicole and Waverly had offers from half the town. Friends of both Curtis and Shorty had stepped forward, offering their services. All of them wishing that both of them could have lived to see the day little Waverly was getting married. It just didn't seem right though, neither of them needed a reminder as to why their own fathers weren't there to do the job. 

Instead, Waverly and Nicole were to meet at the end of the aisle and walk towards the officiate together. Waverly really was petrified that she wouldn't be able to hold it together long enough to get through their vows but one look at Nicole and she knew, her wife-to-be was worrying about the exact same thing. 

Their eyes met, and Nicole let out a tiny gasp as Waverly walked the final few steps to stand beside her. 

"Hi, baby." Nicole grinned, those beautiful dimples on full display and Waverly had to use all of her energy not to just leap forward and kiss her. 

"Hi." Waverly's heart was in her throat and it was a lot harder to speak than she thought it would be. She really started to freak out about messing up her vows. 

Waverly had thought about her wedding day for as long as she could remember. All the movies and TV shows she watched as a kid, they all looked so perfect and picturesque but they all paled in comparison to how she felt looking at Nicole in that moment. It had taken a lot of will power not to sneak a peek at Nicole's outfit before the big day, she wouldn't tell her what she was going to be wearing, only that she knew Waverly was going to love it and she did. She knew she had to think of more reasons to get Nicole into a suit…or at least give her some incentives. 

"You look so beautiful, Waves." Nicole could hardly believe it. Waverly had somehow managed to look more beautiful than she ever had before, Nicole was so close to tears and they hadn't even made it to the front yet. 

"So do you…" Waverly bit down on her lower lip, there were currently a lot of other words she would use to describe Nicole but with half the town present _and_ within earshot, she would have to save them for later. 

"Shall we?" Nicole smirked, she could tell exactly what Waverly was thinking. Waverly took a deep breath beside her and looped her arm through Nicole's. Waverly had to concentrate as they walked, harder than she'd ever had to focus before just so she wouldn't trip every time she snuck a look up at the woman beside her. 

Nicole's eyes landed on her smiling daughter's face as they walked forward, Amelia was sandwiched between Wynonna and Shae, who looked genuinely thrilled to be there. Wynonna was very clearly crying but trying hard not to look like it and she reminded herself to apologise for her and Waverly's little prank earlier that day. While it had been Nicole's idea originally, Waverly really ran with it and said they absolutely had to do it. Nicole had been worried that Wynonna might slap her and for a moment earlier Nicole thought she was actually going to. Wynonna's words, while convincing Nicole she was making the right decision marrying her sister were beautiful, until she finished it off with a death threat if Nicole ever told anyone what she'd said. Everything Wynonna said were all the reasons that Nicole herself knew she had made the best decision of her life asking Waverly to be her wife. 

Shae gave Nicole a slight nod as they neared the front row of seats and Nicole couldn't help but smile even wider. She couldn't believe that they had reached a point where not only were they friends again but Shae was actually sitting at her wedding and looking pleased about it. 

When they reached the officiate and the ceremony began, Nicole felt Waverly squeeze her hand and she looked over to see Waverly smiling excitedly at the woman welcoming everyone there to share in their special day.

It had been almost impossible to whittle down who was and wasn't going to be invited, Nicole having been the Sheriff in Purgatory for nearly three years had her fair share of friends in town and of course everyone adored Waverly. In the end they decided to enlist Wynonna's help to figure out who should simply be invited to the reception afterward, she was a lot stricter and more than willing to take whatever negativity might come their way from someone she deemed not important enough to include. Nicole was pretty sure she had just put names into a hat at one point and started pulling them out randomly to decide. 

Waverly managed to keep herself composed enough to get through her vows before she totally fell apart when Nicole began her own. Hearing Nicole promise to love her for as long as they lived, through everything and anything had her bubbling with the biggest smile on her face. She couldn't even wait for her to finish the words 'I do' before she grabbed Nicole's face, kissing her fiercely and then repeating the words against Nicole's lips. Nicole laughed, so unbelievably full of happiness as she wrapped her arms around Waverly's waist and pulled her in for another kiss. 

 

***

 

It wasn't that Nicole wasn't enjoying the reception, she loved seeing all the people she cared about having a celebration because of her and Waverly, she loved seeing Dolls let loose and dancing with Wynonna, she loved seeing Doc holding Rosita so close that she thought that theirs might be the next wedding she attended. She loved all the speeches that were made in their honour, that there were people who she hadn't seen since she was in the academy that had made their way to her new home for a few short hours just to congratulate her and her new wife. She was having a great time, she just really _really_ wanted to get Waverly upstairs to their room for the night, so they could have their own celebration. 

Every time Waverly's hand would land around her waist as people congratulated them, Nicole couldn't think of anything she wanted more than simply worshipping the woman she had just pledged to love until her last breath. The look in Waverly's eye as she was currently engaged in a conversation with Doc and Rosita but staring at Nicole across the room, lip pulled between her teeth told Nicole that she was not alone in her thoughts. Waverly probably wasn't even aware of what the pair in front of her were saying at all. 

Nicole rose from her seat next to Wynonna and Dolls to walk over to her wife…her _wife._ Waverly was her wife. She smiled and took Waverly's hand, pulling her away and down the hall. The speeches had been made, the cake had been cut, Shae had taken Amelia back to the house to get some sleep and everyone was making good use of the bar. No one would even notice if they disappeared. Nicole was pretty sure that even if they did, no one could possibly blame them. 

"Finally!" Waverly giggled as she pushed Nicole against the wall and wrapped her arms around her neck as she pressed her lips firmly to Nicole's. "I've been ready to go upstairs for hours but I thought you were having a good time!" Waverly ran her hand slowly down Nicole's neck and rested her hand over Nicole's heart. 

"I thought you were having a good time!" Nicole shook her head with a laugh, she leaned forward to rest their foreheads together and sighed. "I mean, I _was_ having a good time but there are definitely more important things we should be doing." Nicole licked her lips as she stared deeply into Waverly's eyes. She'd never been more in love with her than in that moment, pressed up against a wall by Waverly's body, the music from the reception quiet in the background and a room upstairs where no one, _no one_ would be able to interrupt them until their late check out time the following day. 

"Mmm, definitely." Waverly grinned and laced their fingers together, she pulled Nicole the rest of the way to the staircase, up the stairs and into their room. She practically threw Nicole against the back of the door the second it was closed and pressed herself firmly against her new wife. 

"I love you, Waverly Haught-Earp." Nicole smiled against Waverly's lips and Waverly let out a content sigh. 

She was Waverly _Haught-Earp._

"I love you, Nicole Haught-Earp and I cannot believe that we are married!" Waverly squealed as Nicole grinned and guided Waverly backwards with hands on her waist. The hungry look was back in Waverly's eye and Nicole was more than happy to satisfy it. 

Waverly's legs hit the edge of the bed and Nicole lowered her down slowly. It was not the first time that Nicole had felt bad about getting Waverly out of a set of clothing that made her look so ridiculously good and she was sure it wouldn't be the last but she was absolutely going to do it anyway. 

"We're married." Nicole spoke as she lay herself down between Waverly's legs.

Every choice that Nicole had made since her marriage with Shae had fallen apart had brought her to this moment, she wouldn't say that what she had with Shae was nothing compared to what she had with Waverly, it was just totally different. The fire that was lit the first time Waverly touched her, still burned ferociously within Nicole and that passion, that desire to make Waverly the happiest person she could possibly be, Nicole didn't think it would ever leave her.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I actually have a two more one-shots written for this, not edited but they'll get there and then complete outlines of at least another two so yeah, they may be pretty far apart but they will come out eventually! Thanks for sticking with this and if you fancy checking out my newest fic that I'm currently writing it's titled Couldn't Help Falling For You


	22. Chapter 22

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So I've been sitting on this for ages and after the past two episodes I felt like it was time to put it up. I feel like we could all do with a little happiness involving Dolls right now! 
> 
> Thank you to @LuckyWantsToKnow for beta-ing this! 
> 
> I've mentioned it before but I'll say it again, I do have more to add to this story but with everything else I've been writing since the main storyline finished it has taken a back seat. I will get around to posting more little snippets into their lives every now and then though cause I really like this AU :)

“Hey, what did we say about helping with the groceries?” Waverly called after Amelia, who had run straight from the car up to the house.

Waverly looked to her wife for some sort of support, but Nicole just simply shrugged as she shook her head at her daughter’s retreating form. Amelia was becoming more and more headstrong by the day, eight years old and ready to take on the world. Waverly felt like she’d only just gotten used to being a mom to a kid and yet it seemed that sooner than either she or Nicole had expected, they would be attempting to parent a wilful teenager. As great as it was witnessing Amelia becoming her own person, she already missed the days when all Amelia wanted was to cuddle up with them on the couch or beg one of them to read her a story.

Waverly sighed as she made her way to the trunk to start grabbing bags, Nicole already had two in her hands and was just about to pick up a third when a piercing scream came from inside the house and Nicole dropped the bags she was holding to the ground as she took off towards the noise.

“Amelia!” Nicole bolted through the door, eyes scanning the ground floor for her daughter. She got all the way to the kitchen before she found her, buried in the arms of a familiar face. A familiar face that Nicole wanted to smack, _repeatedly,_ for surprisingly Amelia and nearly giving her a heart attack in the process.

“Haught.” Dolls nodded sheepishly, very aware of the stress that Amelia’s excited scream would have just caused.

“What is it? What happened?” Waverly slid into the kitchen, seemingly ready for a fight which caused Nicole to bite her lip to keep her chuckle in. “Oh. Hi, Dolls.”

Waverly instantly relaxed and smiled as she took in the scene before her. Dolls lowered Amelia to the floor, but she remained clung to his side with the biggest smile. Nicole knew she had missed him she just wished she’d had a little warning.

“Where’s your car?” Nicole asked, there was no way both she and Waverly had missed that eyesore of an SUV in their driveway.

“Wynonna took it into town, asked me to get started on dinner.” Dolls sidestepped and swept his hand over all the ingredients he had brought with him to make his chilli; he knew everybody loved it and it had been too long since he’d had a chance to cook for anyone other than himself.

“Are you making my favourite?” Amelia grinned up at him, bouncing a little on her toes when Dolls nodded down at her. “Yay!”

“You do realise that Wynonna moved out like a year ago, right?” Waverly asked, not in the slightest bit surprised by her sister.

“What? No…she failed to mention that.” Dolls rolled his eyes with a heavy sigh, of course Wynonna wouldn’t tell him something like that. He hadn’t really given her a lot of notice about his visit this time but that seemed like pretty vital information.

“I mean it’s great you’re here! Just a surprise!” Nicole quickly rushed out, she didn’t want Dolls feeling in the least bit unwelcome in their house. It just might have been nice if they’d had a little warning before coming home to find him.

“A great surprise!” Amelia beamed up at him and Dolls winked at her, flashing a wide smile of his own.

Nicole couldn’t help but smile too, Amelia had taken to Dolls quickly and it had been quite some time since he’d come to visit. She had been meaning to ask Wynonna if everything was still alright between them since the last time she had gone to visit him was months ago. She had asked Waverly if she knew anything of course, but Waverly had said if things _weren’t_ alright, they were a lot more likely to hear about it from Wynonna. She was certain that everything was fine and Nicole was over the moon to finally get confirmation of that by way of a visit.

Waverly, Dolls and Amelia sat at the table while Nicole offered to finish getting the groceries put away. Luckily her panicked dropping of a couple bags hadn’t resulted in any food casualties beyond a single yogurt pot splitting but since it was _her_ favourite brand she didn’t need to worry about anyone else getting upset about it. Deciding that could absolutely wait until later to clean up, or that Calamity would eventually find it in the driveway and do most of the work for her, she took everything else inside.

“So, wait. Wynonna was here when you arrived?” Waverly asked just as Nicole re-entered the kitchen and waved Waverly off as she stood to help with the groceries.

“Yeah…she told me just to come straight here,” Dolls replied, confused. If Wynonna wasn’t living there anymore, why would she have done that? Did she not want him to see her where she was living now? 

Waverly rolled her eyes, she had a fair guess as to why Wynonna had taken his car into town and she was certain it had everything to do with making sure her place was not a total pig sty. Like it was the last time Waverly was over. Her sister had adopted a leave-it-where-it-drops attitude to most of her clothing. Dolls was an organised person, not exactly a clean freak but he might just have walked out the second he saw Wynonna’s place if he was expected to stay there in amongst the mess.

“She’s probably tidying up her apartment.” Nicole offered an explanation for Wynonna’s behaviour as she emptied the final bag into the fridge.

“But she’s known I was coming for a week?”

“Yeah and have you ever known Wynonna to not leave something to the last possible minute?” Nicole grinned as she pulled up a chair at the table. Waverly instantly searched out for her hand and she threaded their fingers together as she lay her head on Nicole’s shoulder. She only blushed a little as Dolls gave her the slightest nod that Waverly didn’t seem to notice.

“Yeah…fair enough. Does that mean I _shouldn’t_ get started on dinner?” Dolls raised an eyebrow, knowing full well what the answer would be.

“You are absolutely staying for dinner! Need a hand?” Waverly jumped up from her chair and Dolls followed with a chuckle.

The pair started preparations for their meal, with Amelia helping where she could while Nicole got on with some work in the office they’d converted Wynonna’s room into after she moved out. It certainly was quieter around the house without her but clearly that key Waverly have given her with for _emergencies_ only was being abused. Not that Nicole really minded but she was certain Waverly would have something to say about it.

Wynonna returned to the Haught-Earp residence, seemingly unperturbed by Waverly’s inquisitive stare. She saddled up beside Dolls to hip-check him as he stirred the chilli on the stove, looking over her shoulder every few moments to see if Waverly was still wearing the same look. After not very long at all, Waverly got tired of waiting for Wynonna to ask what her issue was.

“You didn’t think it was important to mention that Dolls here was in our house?”

“Thought you’d be happy to see him.” Wynonna shrugged as she ran her finger along the shell of his ear and smirked as he wriggled away from her. She knew she was happy to see him.

“Of course we are, but coming home to find someone unexpectedly in our kitchen is not exactly how we thought our day was going to go!” Waverly huffed, she had half a mind to take back the key she’d given to Wynonna when they got all the old doors replaced with new ones that didn’t whistle every time there was the slightest breeze.

“Jeez, sorry! I thought you’d appreciate the surprise.” Wynonna rolled her eyes, if Waverly was going to be in _that_ kind of mood, she was definitely going to need a beer. She detached herself from Dolls and walked to the fridge, smiling at Waverly and giving her another, more sincere apology before she helped herself to a bottle of beer.

“Get that crap hole tidied up?” Nicole pounced on Wynonna’s shoulders with her hands as she closed the fridge, causing her to nearly jump out of her skin.

“Fu- I mean… _frickin’_ hell, Nicole. Don’t do that!” Wynonna glared as she turned around to face her sister-in-law, beer bottle clenched tight in her hand under Nicole’s nose. She heard Amelia giggling from her seat at the table and shot a slightly less intimidating glare towards her niece before turning back to Nicole. “But yes, as a matter of fact, I did. I thought Dolls might prefer to have some decent company while I cleaned and not the lowlifes who hang out at Shorty’s in the afternoon!”

“Hey!” Waverly shouted, more than ready to fight about the reputation of her bar before Wynonna threw her a wink and she settled down.

“Uh-huh.” Nicole laughed, making her way over to Waverly and kissing her softly on the cheek. Waverly beamed as she placed a palm on Nicole’s face and leaned up to reach her lips.

“As you can see, these two are just as gross as ever!” Wynonna offered a sweeping gesture towards them as she spoke to Dolls.

“I think it’s romantic.” Amelia piped up from her seat at the table, grinning at the pair. 

“Thank you, sweetheart.” Waverly beamed as Nicole blushed and ducked her head, hiding the redness of her cheeks by burrowing into Waverly’s neck.

“Just you wait until you’re a teenager,” Wynonna started, making her way over to Amelia with outstretched hands after setting her still unopened beer down. Before she even made it to the little girl, Amelia was giggling like her aunt was already tickling the life out of her. “and they start being all gross in front of your friends!” Wynonna leapt forward, fingers finding all the spots where she knew Amelia was particularly sensitive to her evil ways and the pair fell to the floor in a heap of laughter and pleads for mercy.

Dolls rolled his eyes at the scene before him, but he had to admit he had missed this…all of them, not just Wynonna. He’d never had one particular place he’d ever called home for long before, but more and more he thought he might have found somewhere he could. Before he got any more caught up in his own thoughts, he made everyone get themselves situated at the table for dinner.

“You’re driving back into town.” Wynonna winked as she finally popped the cap off her beer and took a long drink. Dolls nodded without a hint of an argument on his lips, not that it would have made a lick of difference either way.

While they ate, Dolls explained his prolonged absence. He’d been undercover and as eager as he was to share the parts of the story he could with Amelia sitting there, the time away had started to get to him. He loved his job but he wanted to be with Wynonna more than just a few weeks here and there. He knew she cared for him, maybe even loved him, if those words were not so hard for her to say out loud, but he had no idea how to even approach the subject of being in Purgatory more often, maybe even permanently with her.

Nicole could see the conflict in her friend’s eyes all through dinner, words sitting on the tip of his tongue, but something was holding him back. After everyone had finished eating she encouraged Waverly, Wynonna and Amelia into the living room with promises of her and Dolls doing the dishes.

“You know my offer still stands.” Nicole said quietly as Dolls handed her the final plate to dry.

“I know…” Dolls nodded, it was something he’d thought of often, but since his first night spent undercover he couldn’t get the idea of finally settling down out of his head. “I just don’t know if that would be what she wants…me here, all the time.”

“Only one way to find out.” Nicole shrugged as she placed the now dry plate in the cupboard and disappeared into the living room to let Dolls mull it over.

Nicole slid onto the sofa, sitting in the small gap left between Waverly and Amelia, which quickly became smaller as both of her girls leaned into her side.

“Are we still watching the new Dr Who tonight?” Amelia grinned up her mom, excitedly bouncing in her seat. It was her favourite part of the weekend.

“It’s Sunday isn’t it?” Nicole looked down at her daughter and smiled, she had always hoped Amelia would become a fan when she was old enough to watch. She and Waverly did have to watch the newest episode twice every weekend, to make sure that week’s was suitable for Amelia to actually watch, but neither one of them minded when she always responded so ecstatically when she got to see it. “You guys want to stay and watch or you heading back into town?”

“Think we’ll head back, huh Wynonna?” Dolls spoke from the doorway and Wynonna turned to face him, a hungry look in her eyes that everyone except Amelia noticed immediately.

“Uh…yeah, yep. _Definitely._ Bye!” Wynonna waved absentmindedly as she got up from the armchair, eyes focussed squarely on the man she’d missed more than she would _ever_ willingly announce.

Nicole chuckled as the pair all but ran out of the house, only holding the door open long enough to get themselves out and let Calamity in. The cat jumped straight up onto the couch to sit nestled between Amelia and the armrest and Nicole sighed contently as they returned to their _original_ Sunday evening plans.

 

***

Wynonna walked into the station with a spring in her step that Nicole spotted all the way across the bullpen from her office. Wynonna even flashed a bright smile to Lonnie that had Nicole questioning whether or not Wynonna had popped into Shorty’s on her way in that morning.

Nicole was just about to jump up from her desk to go and talk to her when Dolls strolled into the station, heading straight for the Sheriff’s office, looking equally as pleased and Nicole smiled to herself as she settled back into her chair.

“Good night there, Dolls?” Nicole smirked as Dolls entered her office and took a seat in front of her desk.

“Something like that…”

“So, to what do I owe the pleasure?” Nicole leaned back, hope blooming in her chest that her gut feeling was right.

“I’m in…whatever it is you’ve got for me, I’m in.” Dolls stated firmly, and Nicole couldn’t stop the grin that spread across her face. “I’ll start at the very bottom if I have to, but I want to be here.”

“Well I don’t think that will be necessary but it’s nice to know your commitment.” Not just to the job but to Wynonna too, Nicole thought but didn’t say. Dolls small smile and measured nod told her he seemed to understand her anyway. “How much time before you can start?”

“I’d say about a month, I’ll have to head back to D.C., square everything away on that end but after that, I’m all yours.” Dolls let his smile shine and Nicole leaned over the desk to shake his hand, she couldn’t wait to work with him again.

 

***

 

“Did you speak to Wynonna at all today?” Nicole snaked her arms around Waverly’s waist as she stood opening the mail by the kitchen table, and placed a tender kiss to the side of her head.

“No, why? Did she threaten Carl again?” Waverly dropped the envelopes in her hands and held onto Nicole’s arms. She hated it when Nicole had to reprimand her sister, she’d usually have to hear about it from Wynonna…and then all over again once Nicole got home. “I’ve told her he just forgets things sometimes, he can’t help it if he doesn’t remember calling something in already.”

“No, she didn’t threaten Carl again but thank you for getting through to her about that.” Nicole kissed Waverly’s cheek then tilted her face towards her, so she could catch her lips. Waverly smiled into the kiss, whispering ‘you’re welcome’ against Nicole’s mouth. “I was just wondering if she’d said anything about Dolls?”

“No…”

“He wants a job.” Nicole squeezed Waverly tight, knowing full well her wife’s excitement would match, or be even greater than her own.

“Ah! That’s amazing, does Wynonna not know? Is that why she’s not called to tell me?” Waverly pulled herself out of Nicole’s arms, panic rising in her chest. “Oh god, you shouldn’t have told me something she doesn’t already know! I can’t keep secrets from her, why did you tell me?”

“Hey, baby…” Nicole reached out to pull Waverly back into her, gentle hands smoothing over her back in a small effort to get her to calm down. “Relax, she knows. They talked last night, she’s probably just not had a chance to tell you yet.”

“Why wouldn’t she have time to tell me something like that?” Waverly scoffed; this was big news and she was certainly going to be having words with Wynonna about not bothering to tell her.

“Remember how you got after you realised I was here for good?” Nicole smirked, those particular memories still very _very_ fond.

“Oh…yeah.” Waverly blushed and buried her head in Nicole’s neck. “That was great.”

“Exactly…so they are probably just a little preoccupied.”

“Oh god, don’t make me picture it!” Waverly shook her head as Nicole chuckled and wrapped her arms around Waverly even tighter. “This is going to be really good for Wynonna. I mean, I can’t quite believe she agreed to it if I’m being honest, but I’m so glad she did.” 

“Me too.” Nicole smiled wide. She and Wynonna had only gotten closer over the years and on the odd occasion that Wynonna actually opened up to Nicole... _really_ opened up... it was obvious how much she cared for Dolls. Nicole knew there was some fear in there still, intimacy was not exactly the eldest Earp’s strong suit, but Nicole knew she craved it just the same. “Maybe we could finally start that weekly dinner we’ve been talking about once he’s settled in?”

“Yeah, that’d be nice.” Waverly chewed on her lip, Nicole’s question had taken her out of the different panic she’d been in before Nicole came home but now she knew she needed to get it out. Nicole’s brow furrowed as she noticed Waverly’s pensive face and Waverly took a deep breath as she extracted herself from Nicole’s arms. “I have something I want to talk to you about…”

“Ok…” Nicole could feel Waverly’s nerves radiating off of her and it only made her concerned. She took a seat at the dinner table, expecting Waverly to do the same but she started to pace in front of Nicole instead. “Waves…”

“Just…” Waverly stopped her pacing and looked Nicole dead in eyes, she knew there was fear in them and she could see the moment it registered with Nicole. “Just don’t hate me…please?”

“Never, Waves but you are kind of scaring me here.”

“Sorry.” Waverly apologised as she shook her head and sat down in the chair closest to Nicole, keeping her distance just in case Nicole didn’t want Waverly in her space afterwards. Waverly pushed the letter across the table to Nicole. “I got in…to a real school. To do my masters.”

“Baby…” Nicole beamed, and couldn’t understand why on earth Waverly would think Nicole would be anything but thrilled for her. She felt the beginnings of hurt forming in her heart, of course she was going to be over the moon. How could Waverly ever think differently? “Did you really think I wouldn’t be happy for you?”

“I just…” Waverly sighed, she hated seeing the sadness in Nicole’s eyes and she hadn’t realised how her panicking might have come across. She reached over and took Nicole’s hand into her own. Maybe she might have been projecting a little of her own worries, not that she hadn’t wanted to go to school but there were other things she wanted to do too. “I know we talked about some stuff, we had plans…and now that’ll probably have to take a pause for a bit.”

“Waves.” Nicole pulled at Waverly’s hand until Waverly stood and sat down on Nicole’s lap with a glum face that Nicole couldn’t help but smile at.

“We’ve talked so much about this and I still want us to try but this is-“

“This is _amazing,_ baby!” Nicole interrupted before Waverly could finish, she didn’t want her wife saying that it was anything but what it truly was. “We’re not going anywhere, we have plenty of time to have a baby.”

“Yeah?” Waverly let a sigh of relief leave her lips as Nicole nodded and she lay her head on Nicole’s shoulder. “It’s going to be hard work, I’m going to have to drive to the city almost every day…but I’m so excited!”

Nicole leaned forward and kissed Waverly’s forehead. “I’m so proud of you.” She had hoped that Waverly had been serious about attending when she had applied for school but it was definitely going to be an adjustment.

Nicole knew Wynonna liked to joke about how scarily in sync she and Waverly were and just as she started to panic a little about what she would do with Amelia while Waverly would be out of town, Waverly piped up.

“Gus said she’d pick up the slack with Amelia if I got in, said she’d love to spend more time with her.” Waverly lifted her head to read Nicole’s reaction, she knew Amelia would be Nicole’s number one concern in all of this even if that reality hadn’t settled in yet.

“Perfect.” Nicole grinned, Amelia loved Gus and she was the only person even remotely close to a grandparent that she had; it was about time that they spent some quality time together. “Think she’s still awake? I want to say goodnight.”

“Yeah, she just went upstairs right before you got home. Said she wanted to read at least two chapters of her new book before she fell asleep.” Waverly chuckled as Nicole rolled her eyes, the amount of times they had to go into her room and take whatever book she was currently reading away so she’d actually go to sleep was getting ridiculous.

Nicole squeezed Waverly tight and gave her a real congratulatory kiss before she headed upstairs. As much as Nicole was more than ready to add to their little family, she knew it was something that could wait. Waverly really wanted to go to school so if they had to wait a year, two or even more before they started to seriously try for a baby then that was what would happen. They’d get there eventually, Nicole had no doubt about it.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I won't make any promises about when another one-shot is going to be added to this, I'd rather not break the promise. I need to edit them/maybe add a few things here and there to the ones I have already written but they will come eventually. 
> 
> Also I'm very happy to take prompts for this AU so if anyone wants to see something specific from these guys let me know and I'll see what I come up with :D

**Author's Note:**

> You can follow me on tumblr - brokenlight


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